Mercy Among the Children

David Richards’s gritty, allegorical novel, Mercy Among the Children, won the 2000 Giller Prize for Canadian literature. The novel, set in rural New Brunswick in the latter half of the 20th century, chronicles three generations of the Henderson family and their sufferings. The tale is told by the scruffy, young Lyle Henderson, who has faltered from the humble roots of his saint-like family. Richards explores biblical themes through the small-town lives of the impoverished family.

Plot Summary

Lyle recounts his tumultuous family history to local retired policeman Terrieux, whose life inadvertently had a profound impact on the Hendersons. Terrieux saved Mathew “Mat” Pit, the Hendersons’ devious neighbor, subjecting them to ongoing defamation and disparagement at Mat’s hands. Lyle’s family difficulties began much earlier, however, with his grandfather, Roy.

In 1960, Roy is working at the local paper mill. Uneducated and underprivileged, Roy beats his son, Sydney. Sydney bears this, as he does all the injustices that come his way, as he made a covenant with God never to elevate a hand or voice. Sydney made the covenant after pushing Connie Devlin off the church roof, leaving Connie unharmed but Sydney overwhelmed with guilt.

Two years later, Roy’s boss, Leo McVicer, unjustly fires him. Later, Roy is incarcerated for burning the mill, a crime of which he is innocent, and though he begs McVicer for mercy, he dies in prison. Sydney, disgraced and alone, finds relief in drinking and reading, after buying a wheelbarrow full of books for $20. Sydney gives up drinking, and by 19, he is well-read in the classics, from Marcus Aurelius to Leo Tolstoy.

Sydney meets Elly, a quiet and beautiful woman who grew up at a local orphanage and convent. Mat Pit, the perennial antagonist of the Hendersons’, pushes himself on her, but she rejects him, choosing Sydney instead. This only adds to the locals’ dislike of Sydney, whom they consider unworthy of Elly. The two marry and live in poverty but are deeply in love. Elly has three children, but she also suffers several miscarriages. The middle child, whom they name Autumn, is albino. Meanwhile, McVicer’s paper mill has been using toxic chemicals, which has affected the community.

Sydney’s refusal to retaliate for any slight leads to accumulating hardships for the family, as he becomes the town scapegoat. Falsely accused of fathering an illegitimate child, Sydney remains silent. He willingly atones for the sins of others when they steal a box of smelts. His family is harassed and abused, but Sydney remains passive. Finally, Mat Pit, Connie Devlin, and McVicer’s son-in-law, Rudy Bellanger, frame Sydney for sabotaging McVicer’s latest project, the construction of a bridge. When Mat Pit’s brother, Trenton, dies in the blast, Sydney faces a court case, but hardworking lawyer Isabel Young exonerates him.

Following the trial, Sydney can’t find work, and his family is destitute. Upon receiving an invoice for $17,000 of back taxes, he dutifully goes north to a work camp to pay it back. His first son, Lyle, now 16, resents his father’s refusal to defend himself and his family. In rebellion, Lyle begins fighting, drinking, and even steals the church chalice. Mat Pit helps him dispose of it, forging an unhealthy alliance between the two. During Sydney’s three-year absence, Elly’s health fails due to the environmental toxins. Percy, who was just three when his father left, tries to keep the family together.

When Sydney hears of Elly’s illness, he collects his wages and heads home, companioned by Connie Devlin. Only Connie makes it back to town the week after Elly’s death. Mat tells Lyle that Connie was behind the bridge incident. Lyle steals into Connie’s house to kill him and finds Connie trying to hang himself. Lyle cuts Connie down, and the latter confesses to stealing Sydney’s money and boots as well as to leaving him to die. Meanwhile, Percy wanders into the snowy road, and is hit and killed by Mat Pit’s car as Mat flees.

After the death of the now-elderly McVicer, Lyle and Autumn inherit his fortune. Unbeknownst to Elly, she was McVicer’s daughter. The police finally solve the bridge case, and a grieving and guilt-ridden Lyle later finds Mat on his deathbed. Mat apologizes to Lyle.