"Mercy House was a safe haven for victims of domestic violence, founded and operated by Sister Evelyn, Sister Josephine, and Sister Maria...Their row house in Brooklyn was almost always at capacity...Good for business, bad for humanity."
I am not sure what I was expecting when I selected this and started reading but I got so much more than anticipated. This was really a remarkable story about courage and resilience not only that of the women who came there to escape horrible situations, but also the Sisters of St. Joseph of Mercy who set up the safe house. These indomitable women faced incredible odds and the scrutiny of the Catholic Church whose efforts to destroy their mission almost ruined them all. The story has so many different characters whose backgrounds and experiences have shaped their lives and brought them to Mercy House right before the Vatican sends Bishop Robert Hawkins to scrutinize the activity of religious sisters -- hunting for deviations from doctrine. They call it the "nun-quisition, reproaching American nuns for their 'secular mentality' and 'feminist spirit."
Can Sister Evelyn and her cohort resist the efforts of the devious Bishop to close down Mercy House and get rid of her -- excommunicate her -- in the process? For Sister Evelyn has a secret that has shamed her for years and she may not be able to overcome years of indoctrination and self-hatred to reveal it. Because of Sister Evelyn's own inability to forgive the many transgressions committed against her, it comes as a surprise when she's offered both grace and mercy when everything finally falls apart. The details of convent life, the activities in Mercy House, the stories of the resident abused women who live there, and the atrocities committed by those in service to the Catholic Church will probably not surprise you, but will affect you. It was a very absorbing narrative that I found hard to put down and can't stop thinking about.
This novel is not just meant for Catholics, but it might affect reaction to it. That said, I am Catholic, went to Catholic schools for almost my entire education (including one year at a Catholic University), taught and worked in Catholic Schools for over 20 years -- you can say I've definitely been immersed -- and nothing in this book shocked me. I know there are those who wonder how someone can still claim to be Catholic despite all the horrible abuses that have come to light. I say that Catholicism is not based on those people but in the faith itself. There is incredible beauty and peace in many of the beliefs and rituals as well as in the community of the faithful DESPITE the sins of those who misuse their power and destroy souls. Is the church changing -- yes, definitely. I'll leave it for others to debate what those changes mean for the future and for the current members.
The writing was excellent and I look forward to reading other reviewers' thoughts and reactions. As Sister Evelyn learns, mercy has value to the person who bestows it and holding grudges destroys the spirit. Grace, undeserved love, is a gift to be treasured.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.
This is a debut, a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - fiction, Catholic Church, nuns,
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