The Club Members

Saskia Brown

“I don’t understand why you’re always thinking ahead! I don’t want to be thinking about how I will feel or how things might be. I want to think about now.” While Mercury Boys is written in the third person, readers see the story through Saskia’s eyes. She is the heart and soul of the book. A biracial teen from a broken home, Saskia is particularly vulnerable when she arrives to Covington, Connecticut. She is relieved when she makes new friends. However, the clique of girls Saskia falls in with is not all that it seems. Will Saskia smarten up and heed her instincts before it’s too late?

Lila Defensor

“They’re tormented. Star-crossed. Like Romeo and Juliet, without the suicide.” The first friend Saskia makes in Covington and the best. Short, sassy Lila has the confidence and sense of self that Saskia sorely lacks. Ambitious, Lila dreams of becoming a psychiatrist. She wants to get past her working class roots and distance herself from her needy family. Lila consistently has Saskia’s best interests at heart, but she also guards a big secret.

Paige Sampras

“I’m not gonna name names, but it has come to my attention that someone might have seen her ex-boyfriend recently.” Rich, beautiful Paige seems to have it all. She is an excellent student, a leader in school activities, a magnet for boys, and friendly to boot. Since her parents are never at home, she also has unlimited freedom. Saskia is delighted when Paige takes her under her wing, never suspecting that Paige might be as manipulative as she is magnetic.

Sara Beth Sampras

“Our parents are having a mid-life crisis. They smoke pot, listen to old music, and pretend they’re at Woodstock.” Paige’s sophisticated and sly younger sister. Sara Beth attends a different school than the other girls, and sometimes it seems like she lives on a different planet. Her snobbery rubs Saskia the wrong way, but Saskia is nevertheless impressed with her bohemian worldliness. Sara Beth is the perfect example of a girl who’s grown up too fast.

Adrienne Arch

“I’m the only one who can see Emery. It’s like we’re in our own little world.” A tall, striking redhead, kind-hearted Adrienne idolizes Paige and is willing to do almost anything Paige says, no matter how dangerous. But when she meets her mercury boy, who just might be her soul mate, she starts to think and act for herself. Will she remain Paige’s pawn, or will she take control of her own destiny, even if it means making an unspeakable sacrifice?

The Mercury Boys

Robert Cornelius

A brilliant chemist, Cornelius is interested in more than elementary forms of matter. He is endlessly curious about time and space, too. When he encounters Saskia, a girl from the 21st century, in his 19th century lighting shop, he becomes convinced that mercury might be a catalyst for time travel. Cornelius and Saskia are fascinated by one another, but there are barriers between them, including one that Saskia is unwilling to cross.

Mack

Mack is an adroit pickpocket, and equally adroit showman. His favorite haunt: the Crystal Palace, an enormous exhibition building that was erected for New York City’s “Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations” in 1853. Loaded with awed and distracted tourists, the Crystal Palace is the perfect place for Mack to filch pocket watches, purses, and wallets. He regards himself as the best in the business, until he meets an equally capable deviant: Sara Beth.

Emery

Emery is in dire straits when Adrienne Arch first meets him. He’s been shot in the arm by a minie ball, a kind of bullet used in the Civil War. Now the wound is infected and he’s about to have his arm amputated. The Union soldier’s prognosis isn’t good given the setting: field hospitals are renowned for disease, terrible sanitation, and lack of medication and supplies. Adrienne doesn’t think she has the strength and stamina to come to Emery’s aid, but she’s more resilient than she knows.

Samuel Pendleton

Samuel Pendleton desperately wants to be as extraordinary as the great Romantic poets : Blake, Byron, and Keats. Paige first meets him in a bucolic field, where he and his friends are sitting on the grass and reading their own poetry aloud. While it’s clear to Paige that likeable Pendleton is a favorite among his pals, it’s also clear that his literary skills are sub-par. After his work is repeatedly rejected, Pendleton gives up on poetry and makes a drastic life change.

Lila’s Mercury Boy

Lila’s love interest is a secret through much of the book. When it’s finally revealed, readers will understand why.

Oliver

Oliver doesn’t play a role in the book until the end, but what an important role it is.

Secondary Characters

Saskia’s Dad

One of the few parents in the book who is actually parental. Although he is depressed about his wife’s infidelity, he remains stable and attentive when it comes to his daughter. Saskia’s father is the rock she needs when trouble starts to brew.

Saskia’s Mom

When Saskia’s mom betrays the family by having an affair, Saskia’s faith in her is shattered. In the bitter aftermath, Saskia’s mother repeatedly tries to reach out to her daughter, but Saskia can’t forgive. Saskia’s mother’s actions speak louder than her words: she consistently prioritizes her new boyfriend over her family.

Rich

A security guard at the university archive where Lila works. Well-meaning, if eccentric, Rich is loyal to Lila at crucial junctures in the story.

Josh

Saskia’s crush at Covington High. Mixed-race Josh has all the characteristics of an archetypal bad boy. Saskia is attracted to this broody loner, but fears her romantic feelings are unrequited. While Josh plays a minor role in The Mercury Boys, his impact is great.

Benjamin

Adrienne’s ex-boyfriend from Covington High School. Benjamin is unwilling to accept their breakup and goes to great lengths to get her back.