FLYING ON THE WINGS OF MERCURY

Spare change makes magic for an aspiring author in Berg’s novel.

Struggling writer Zach Howard, living in a studio apartment in Astoria, New York (“Reality set in a few years after graduation when my most recent publication attempt was critiqued with similar sentiments to those of my 56 prior rejections”), discovers an old Mercury dime while sorting through his loose coins. Zach starts experiencing strange phenomena: After he places the coin on his laptop each night, the next morning he discovers fully written stories, with no memory of creating them. The dime has passed through the hands of people from different time periods and locations—traveling from a Chicago gangster in the 1920s to a Depression-era baseball enthusiast to an Italian immigrant in Philadelphia—before ending up with Zach. The coin acts as a literary time machine, transporting Zach as he reads stories that blend historical details with emotional impact and strong narrative drive. The characters Berg creates are steeped in authenticity and feel genuine and vivid. They include the powerful yet vulnerable mob enforcer Charlie LiPari; young Billy Barrow, who dreams about playing for the Chicago Cubs; and the Algieri family, Italian immigrants hoping to build a future in America. The vignettes present both poignant moments and humorous elements that portray basic human experiences, including moments of ambition, loss, and quiet heroism. The narrative voice is captivating; the straightforward prose deftly shifts between chronicling Zach’s contemporary musings and the dime’s historical progression. The author balances the magical elements with genuine emotions, particularly when it comes to Zach’s feelings for Julie, his romantic interest. The novel is ultimately a tribute to narrative storytelling, meaningful small objects, and relationships that link people across time. This is an endearing work that will encourage readers to investigate the stories hidden within their own personal possessions. They’ll never look at a pocket full of change quite the same way again.

An imaginative and touching exploration of history, memory, and the mysterious ways in which stories find us.