The Mercury

Pearl and her mother live in the Mercury for 14 years. During their time in the car, they become much closer than the average mother and daughter. Margot sleeps in the backseat of the car and Pearl puts a pillow down over the emergency break and sleeps across the front seats. They keep their clothes in garbage bags organized like dresser drawers, their toiletries in the dashboard drawer, and their food in the trunk with a collection of expensive items from Margot's wealthy childhood home. They only eat food that does not need to be refrigerated, they roll up the windows and spray the car with Raid every night, and Margot periodically switches out the battery of the car so that they have a working radio. In the car, they talk about their lives, their pasts, their futures. They pretend to go on long road trips. Margot pretends...