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Small Mercies: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
A startling and tender portrait of one family’s struggle to make peace with their son’s death
An ingeniously layered narrative, told over the course of one week, Eddie Joyce’s debut novel masterfully depicts an Italian Irish American family on Staten Island and their complicated emotional history. Ten years after the loss of Bobby—the Amendola family’s youngest son—everyone is still struggling to recover from the firefighter’s unexpected death. Bobby’s mother, Gail; his widow, Tina; his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, and Franky, the misfit; and his father, Michael, have all dealt with their grief in different ways. But as the family gathers together for Bobby Jr.’s birthday party, they must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina’s life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one.
Presented through multiple points of view, Small Mercies explores the conflicts and deep attachments that exist within families. Heart-wrenching and profoundly relatable, Joyce’s debut is a love letter to Staten Island and a deeply affecting portrait of an American family.
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“In Scott Aiello’s rich and devastating performance you can hear how different Bobby’s widow is from her new Manhattan beau; it’s in their accents. Here are voices from all walks of New York City life as well as a vivid portrait of place, Staten Island, and an Italian-Irish family—how they love, support, and fail each other…Both novel and performance are full of craft and heart in this outstanding production. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
Quotes
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“Eddie Joyce’s terrific first novel is so American that the story might as well have taken place at the base of the Statue of Liberty.”
— Richard Russo, New York Times bestselling author of That Old Cape Magic -
“An inside look at one Staten Island family’s struggle with grief…[A] poignant, deeply affecting tale.”
— Martha Stewart Living -
“[A] terrific debut novel…Joyce layers…different characters’ perspectives nimbly and skillfully, infusing his portrait of a messy, complicated, loving family with heartfelt emotion.”
— Entertainment Weekly, A- -
“Joyce’s first novel is a paean to his native borough, Staten Island, and the resilience of the Italian- and Irish-Americans who call it home…The book revitalizes the once widely discussed idea of the ‘Sept. 11 novel,’ making that communal horror a pivotal part of an intimate family portrait.”
— New York Times -
“Joyce has a keen eye for the familial culture of Italian/Irish tribes on Staten Island and how it informs his characters’ development. He has an insightful and descriptive touch…An intimate, familiar, and appealing story.”
— Washington Independent Review of Books
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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A Martha Stewart Book Club Pick
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About Eddie Joyce
Eddie Joyce was born and raised on Staten Island. He attended Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center. Before he started writing, he was a criminal defense attorney for almost ten years.
About Scott Aiello
Scott Aiello has narrated over a dozen audiobooks and is a 2013 Audie Award finalist for his nonfiction narration of Sex and God at Yale by author Nathan Harden. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School drama division and has since performed and directed various New York plays and has been seen on television shows such as Person of Interest and Elementary. Before Juilliard, he was a regular in the Chicago theater circuit.