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emilyisreading2024's review against another edition
5.0
Reminiscent of John Burnham Schwartz' Reservation Road, The Merciful is a gripping dramatic narrative that will pull you in from page one. The setting is rendered in evocative detail and the character's decisions are at once understandable and heart-wrenching. Sealy handles the different perspectives with a steady assurance, leading up to a morality play that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. A must read.
gpg's review against another edition
5.0
This is like a morality play about an accident, a decision, and the way an instant can change the course of a life forever. Here's my New Books Network interview with the author: https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-merciful
midnightbookgirl's review against another edition
4.0
Inspired by a case here in Richmond, VA, Sealy takes the elements of the crime and places it in South Carolina, presenting it as a morality tale.
Samantha James is a young college student, home on break and working at a restaurant. She bikes everywhere and has done so for years. She dresses in white, wears her helmet, has lights on her bicycle. But that doesn't stop Daniel Haywood from hitting her one night, leaving her broken and dead.
It takes Daniel time to come forward, claiming he thought he hit a deer or a dog. Social media judges him guilty, but there's still the trial to come.
Told in many point of views- the lawyers, the sister, the boyfriend, the old college roommate- each person's truths and desires and motivations are revealed.
This made for a great book club discussion (we read it for our true crime book club, since we occasionally will read fiction if it's based off of a real case, and the actual case took place in our home city), ranging from topics of cancel culture, distracted drivers, bicyclist's rights, anonymity on social media, small town morals, and of course, the characters.
Samantha James is a young college student, home on break and working at a restaurant. She bikes everywhere and has done so for years. She dresses in white, wears her helmet, has lights on her bicycle. But that doesn't stop Daniel Haywood from hitting her one night, leaving her broken and dead.
It takes Daniel time to come forward, claiming he thought he hit a deer or a dog. Social media judges him guilty, but there's still the trial to come.
Told in many point of views- the lawyers, the sister, the boyfriend, the old college roommate- each person's truths and desires and motivations are revealed.
This made for a great book club discussion (we read it for our true crime book club, since we occasionally will read fiction if it's based off of a real case, and the actual case took place in our home city), ranging from topics of cancel culture, distracted drivers, bicyclist's rights, anonymity on social media, small town morals, and of course, the characters.
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
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