THE MERCY SEAT

THE MERCY SEAT

By Elizabeth H. Winthrop

mercy seat n.
1. (Bible) Old Testament the gold platform covering the Ark of the Covenant and regarded as the throne of God where he accepted sacrifices and gave commandments (Exodus 25:17, 22)
2. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity the throne of God
Collins English Dictionary

One day. One sweltering, sweat-soaked day in 1943 Louisiana. In 1943, Americans had been battling enemies across the sea for two years. But by 1943, Americans had been battling enemies within their own souls for many more.

One long, miserable Louisiana day, Will Jones, a young black man – a boy really – is scheduled to be electrocuted at midnight for the crime of raping a white woman. The reality of the situation, if his accusers had known it, would have burned even more strongly in their guts, because it was a crime of audacity. Audacity that a young black man and a young white woman could ever be in love and that they dared to share that love with each other. Love of that nature wasn’t welcome in the stifling atmosphere of 1943 Louisiana.

This exquisitely written book is about love and cruelty, sons and mothers and fathers. It’s about what is planted within us by others and by life, and how we either nurture or destroy those seeds of kindness or loathing. It’s about what we do, how we choose to act, who we are, and how we endure it all. It’s about heartbreak.

The story, written in the third person and seen through the eyes of multiple characters in rotating chapters, advances through the afternoon and evening of Will’s day of execution. The inhabitants of the story are all tied together in some way through unfolding events, some loosely and some tightly woven. Yet all of them are tangled within themselves, threatening to come undone.

This was a painful novel to read, and one of the best I’ve ever read. The story is so perfectly written; the words are put together so well that I felt everything. Everything. There are very few books that have overwhelmed me with such intense feelings as this one. There is so much hurt here that it was almost unbearable to read at times, yet I couldn’t put it down. I will read everything this author ever writes.

With much gratitude to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Grove Press for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Also hand-over-heart thanks to the author, Elizabeth H. Winthrop for her beautiful story

Reviewed March 2018