PEARCE OYSTERS

A family’s livelihood is on the line in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jordan Pearce is a Louisiana oysterman. His father was an oysterman, and his father’s father was an oysterman. It’s in his blood. So when the oil from the BP spill starts threatening his oyster allotments, Jordan feels his entire world begin to crumble. First his friend and longtime deckhand Doug “Babies” Davies quits suddenly for a higher-paying job working to clean up the spill. After trying all his leads to find a replacement for Babies and quickly discovering that his friend is not the only one jumping ship to work for the oilmen, Jordan almost loses hope. Finally, at his widowed mother May’s urging, Jordan reluctantly convinces his semi-estranged bohemian brother, Benny, to come in from New Orleans to work with him on the boat. Jordan and Benny begin to build back their relationship while everything else around them falls apart. News starts spreading that the dispersant used to clean up the spill is harmful to their health; the oil continues to encroach on the oysters; and the personal lives of Jordan, Benny, and May all hang in the balance. Takacs packs a lot in, taking on politics, environmentalism, addiction, family dysfunction, and love. At times the pacing is awkward, and some parts feel too rushed and overabundant, particularly toward the end. That said, Takacs tells a story that feels fresh in its point of view, all the while lending her characters a humanity that paints them neither as heroes nor as villains, but as messy, complex, and wholly worthy of the reader’s time: “People could disbelieve anything, Benny thought, if it’s too painful. There are no limits. He swiveled to see who was clapping for his brother—people who seemed to think Jordan was being brave. This was fear masquerading as heroism, but it was the only form of heroism available at the moment.”

A unique story with a wealth of compelling characters.