A Matter of Mercy

by Lynne Hugo

[Kim Deister]

This was a beautiful book, albeit one that was hard for me to read for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the book and everything to do with me. It is the story of Caroline Marcum, who has come home to care for her mother in her final days. There is so much sadness, so much heartache, so much emotion. It tugged at my heart from start to finish, even as the suspense of the mystery underlying Caroline's life unfolded.

The last several years have been less than perfect for Caroline. The pain of it and the pain and guilt she carries with her threatens to overwhelm her, especially when faced with the fact that her mother is dying from cancer. She is emotionally wrought when she runs into an old friend and, in a moment of vulnerability, has a fling. That one moment changes everything for her and, in many ways, makes her feel even more lost and confused and guilty.

This is a story of moments. In a moment with Ridley, her life changes. During a trip to a nearby library, another moment sets in motion a scary series of events in Caroline's life. There is a lesson there, that those small moments can change your life in ways you can't possibly imagine.

The characters are wonderful in this story. Caroline and Rid seem rather flat at the beginning of the story, but I think that this was intentional on the part of the author. It seems to underscore the idea that life without the presence of love is not really living, that with love comes pain and loss, but that we can survive that pain and loss. Caroline has become so guarded with her emotions over the last several years and she has to learn to be vulnerable again, even to her mother in her dying days. Rid is used to relying on himself and is going through some things that make him distrustful of most everyone outside his immediate circle. Love and trust does not come easy to either of them. As they grow, their characters develop beautifully!

This is a beautiful story set in the midst of the Cape Cod oyster culture. The setting is rich with detail and teaches without feeling like a lesson. I felt like I was on the dunes of the oyster flats, experiencing the area right along with the characters.

Things to love...

--The detailed setting.
--The emotions and growth of the characters.

My Recommendation: I loved the depth of the characters and the depth of the emotions for me as a reader. Parts of Caroline's story were painful for me, in light of my own loss, but it was beautiful nonetheless. I gave it 4.5 mugs!