In my last book review (Revealing Jesus: a 365 Day Devotional) I mentioned that there were two types of books that I don’t like very much. The first was the “tie-in” book and the second was what my mother always called the “name exchange” book. That’s when an author, usually of romance novels, tells basically the same story, but simply changes the names of the lead characters. When I picked up “Sweet Mercy” by Ann Tatlock to read and review from Graf-Martin, I suspected it might be another “name exchange” book. I am rarely so happy to be so wrong.
In the Prologue this story creates it’s foundation. An elderly lady entering an abandoned old country lodge with her young grandson, goes rummaging through the attic in search of a mysterious box. It appears like their task will take quite some time, so Eve’s grandson talks her into telling the story of the last time she was in the old lodge and why it’s so important for her to come back to retrieve an old box. That’s our cue to settle in for a trip to the past via the small town of Mercy, where Eve first came to live as a 17 year old in the early 1930’s.
Suddenly the cobwebs melt, the dust disappears, a breeze stirs her memories and all is fresh and new again as Eve remembers the summer she first came with her parents to live at the “Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge” owned by her father’s brother, Cyrus Marryat.
Eve’s father, in the midst of the depression and laid off work, accepts his brother’s offer of a job at the Marryat Lodge on the outskirts of the town of Mercy. For Eve it is a safe haven to escape the gangsters and corruption that had taken over the streets of St. Paul Minnesota which were also responsible for Eve having witnessed a brutal murder that continued to haunt her. Thinking she has found the next best thing to the garden of Eden, Eve settles in to her job and new life in paradise unaware that her past, her fears, first love and adulthood are all just around the corner and completely inescapable.
With the scene set, Ann Tatlock breathes life into a period of history that few of us know much about by making it as familiar as our own neighbourhood and as current as our own teen years. And Tatlock doesn’t hesitate for a moment from inundating us with words and references that went out of use and style decades ago, but jump off the page with potency at the merest touch of her story telling talents.
A time when men wore pomade on their hair, fedoras on their heads, lived in Podunk towns, rowed punts, drove a jitney, shantytowns prevalent, the poor were willing to do a days labour for a plate of food, Rudolph Valentino was the big movie heart throb and people were fox trotting to “Keep a Song in Your Soul” by Duke Ellington with "some kind of dynamism"(*1).
The plot moves along at a steady clip, we get to know characters both interesting and recognizable and are educated about a time in history where prohibition was the law, the Volstead act was enforced and politicians’ pockets were lined with money from gangsters and rum runners.
But the best thing about Ann Tatlock is the way she seamlessly weaves history and fiction together, describes scenery so vividly that you know you’ve been there and does it without wasting a single word. She doesn’t subject us to long descriptive paragraphs when she can simply interject, “ a small steel bridge humped like the back of a frightened cat”(*2) to instantly draw a mental picture. Or a quick reference like, “ that life seemed far away like the torn edges of an early morning dream”(*3) to allow us immediate access into the heart of our heroine.
But Ann Tatlock’s techniques and talent aside, at it’s core “Sweet Mercy” is the quintessential coming-of-age story told at it’s best. We meet Eve when she is vulnerable yet passionate and about to cross the line from carefree childhood to the adult life of difficult choices and joyous sorrows.
But what Ann Tatlock truly excels at is all the feelings we have when we are first in love. The feelings of inadequacy, worry about never seeing the object of our affection again, a attraction so electric you can barely speak, floating instead of merely walking, those happy sighs and "this sense of connectedness, however fragile and brief, a blessed reprieve from solitude."(*4) and to be "lovelier than I might have imagined."(*5)
But if I could describe “Sweet Mercy” with one word it would be “infectious”. (Infectious as Eve's new friend, Marlene). But this is the kind of infection you will want to catch. It is the perfect book for a summer read. You will relate to the hot days by the water, the warm tender evenings, games, laughter, family vacations, barbecues and new summertime friends. But you’ll want to keep this book handy, because right about the time the cold winds come, when the snow is piled high, you have to dig out your car and you keep checking your furnace to see if it’s still working, the town of Mercy will be a wonderful place to visit again for your winter holiday.
A solidly written; thoroughly enjoyable read. I happily give it an 8 out of 10 Golden Christian Fishes.
BOOK QUOTES PAGE REFERENCES:
(*1)- page 59
(*2)- page 24
(*3)- page 54
(*4)- page 102
(*5)- page 102
Laura-Lee's Special Treats LINKS:
CBD Link below - $9.99 - lots in stock
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Sweet Mercy By Ann Tatlock |
Sweet Mercy (First 28 pages) in PDF file
"Keep a Song in Your Soul" by Duke Ellington at YouTube
More Information LINKS:
ANN TATLOCK Official Website
SWEET MERCY Profile at Baker Publishing Website
Graf-Martin Communications (Promotion)
Ann Tatlock
