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A review by g_monaghan
The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Premise: during a fishing trip a storm kills all the men on a small island in Norway leaving the women to fend for themselves, amidst growing religious fanaticism a governor comes to instill order once more.
This book had me on edge the whole time, I knew where the story was going but I didn't realise I would still be so enraged by the events that unfolded. The accusations of witchcraft and the treatment of those accused was harrowing, the brief freedom the women of Vardø experienced when they were forced to fend for themselves in a challenging landscape was eclipsed by the misogynistic and spiteful actions of the governor.
Perhaps most poignant and heart-wretching is the fact that
whilst this is a work of fiction the story would be true of the lives of many women or those seen as outcasts that do not fit in or were restricted by the social mores of the time.
This book also contains commentary on ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender expression. Be warned this book is full of saphic pining.
This book had me on edge the whole time, I knew where the story was going but I didn't realise I would still be so enraged by the events that unfolded. The accusations of witchcraft and the treatment of those accused was harrowing, the brief freedom the women of Vardø experienced when they were forced to fend for themselves in a challenging landscape was eclipsed by the misogynistic and spiteful actions of the governor.
Perhaps most poignant and heart-wretching is the fact that
whilst this is a work of fiction the story would be true of the lives of many women or those seen as outcasts that do not fit in or were restricted by the social mores of the time.
This book also contains commentary on ethnicity, class, sexuality and gender expression. Be warned this book is full of saphic pining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Torture
Minor: Gaslighting and Alcohol