Recent Reads: "Mercy" by Jodi Picoult

Source:  Bing Images

"Mercy"

by Jodi Picoult

c. 1996

This is my second review of a Jodi Picoult novel this month, and I enjoyed this book much more than the other one.  It is about some folks living in the small town of Wheelock, Massachusetts.  Two of the folks are new to town, and both bring their own type of drama.

Allie owns a flower shop, her husband Cam is the reluctant Chief of Police (a job handed down from his father with some sort of Scottish clan obligation attached).  Cam's mother, Ellen, has turned new-age after the death of her husband, and is in the process of becoming a holistic healer.  I liked her.  Cam's cousin, Jamie, smothers his cancer ridden wife with a pillow at her request, and prepares to stand trial.  Graham is his newbie attorney.  The new chick in town, Mia, begins working at Allie's flower shop and then proceeds to sleep with Allie's husband.  Nice, Mia.

Allie feels lucky to have married the popular boy from high school and she spoils him rotten.  Cam takes her for granted.  Not really a bad sort of husband overall, but he falls for the new girl in town and becomes reckless.  One thing that really makes me mad about him is that he and Mia do it in Allie's personal spaces (the flower shop, their bedroom, etc.)  This book delves into several forms of love relationships, exploring the feelings and motives of the main characters as they do what they do.

I probably won't re-read it, but it was pretty good.  I still have a few unanswered questions, but they are minor.  I was relieved that there were not as many themes threaded throughout this book as there were in "Change of Heart".   Here is a list of the main ones in this story:  mercy killing, illicit affairs, forgiveness, floral shops, bonsai, death, ghosts, obligations, the justice system and trials, the language of flowers, love, loyalty, clans, and cats in backpacks.

Kathy M.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.