Mercury Rising

The Heaven of Mercury, by Brad Watson (Norton, 288 pp., $23.95)

Brad Watson’s collection of short stories, Last Days of the Dog-Men, gained him accolades, a national audience, and a teaching gig at Harvard. Though a justly praised book, it could never have prepared readers for what was to come. With his debut novel, The Heaven of Mercury, a finalist for the National Book Award, he has made one of those quantum leaps that so many great writers surprise us with.