For what audience would you recommend Mercy? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar style?
I thought this book would be more akin to Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment than it turned out to be. I would recommend it to book clubs whose members enjoy thoroughly pondering the themes explored in the book – near-death experience, friendship, people passing through our lives, far-reaching implications of interactions with others – and enjoy stories in which the author doesn’t supply every pertinent detail, leaving it to readers to fill in some of the blanks using their own imaginations and intellect.
I enjoy books written in this style. I do find that I need to sit with a book like this for a few days after reading it , to fully appreciate all the nuances and to form a better understanding of what I read and my response to it . This is a perfect book for book clubs and for individuals who enjoy contemplative thought .
Someone who likes character driven novels rather than plot also someone who doesn’t need everything wrapped up in a bow.
I haven’t read anything like this since one of Kate Atkinson’s books. I think it was Case Histories where there were different stories that all connected but you didn’t really see how until you read them all. I don’t particularly like this style of writing but the book did hold my attention. I agree with Michele that you must like the character driven story over the plot.
I think billed as a series of short life stories would better fit the synopsis of this book - so people who read short stories may like it better. Or people who don’t look for a ‘summed up” ending - those who dont care if the story lines are left dangling.
I think this book is written for the deep thinker. I agree, that it is one that has to be mulled over and thought about after you finisih reading it to get the full effect. I didn’t think I cared for the book much after I read it, but after becoming engaged in the questions and reading what others took from the book, I realized that I enjoyed it more than I thought I did! That happens to me a lot when I read something that really makes me think. I enjoy novels where you can really get into the characters heads and get to know them better.