The Shape of Mercy, by Susan Meissner

Setting

Modern day

Santa Barbara, California

1692

Salem, Massachusetts

Synopsis

Lauren gets a part-time job with an elderly librarian, transcribing the journals of Mercy Hayworth, who had fallen victim to the Salem Witch Trials centuries before. She quickly finds herself enthralled by this young woman's life and the long ago time in which she lived, one wrought with superstition, fear, and betrayal.  Lauren finds that her connection with Mercy has transcended time, and she finds herself questioning things in her own life and among her own acquaintances, including her relationship with a certain young man named Raul.

Review

This story is so compelling that I found myself riveted and unable to set it aside. This author has a way of layering the story and holding the reader's interest.  The characters are so well developed that they stick with you, long after you close the book and continue on with your life.  I really felt like I was there with Mercy Hayworth, not knowing who to trust, feeling her pain and her fears.  This story was creepier than the books that I normally read, due to the situations involved with the witch trials, but I couldn't help but be drawn to read more and more.  The characters felt so real, and so connected to each other, that I just had to know what happened to them.  This is a very well written book that I highly recommend.

Edgy Content

1) Reference to people being killed, since many were hung because of false suspicions.
2) Underlying feeling of evil, reference to witchcraft and bad spirits.  This is rather spooky if you are not used to reading these types of stories.  However, it was necessary in order to make the plot and characters realistic.  That really was a terrifying time for those people.