The Mercy Seat
by Elizabeth H. Winthrop
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Pub Date 14 Jun 2018 | Archive Date 14 Aug 2018
Hodder & Stoughton | Sceptre
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Description
As the sun begins to set over Louisiana one October day in 1943, a young black man faces the final hours of his life: at midnight, eighteen-year-old Willie Jones will be executed by electric chair for raping a white girl - a crime some believe he did not commit.
In a tale taut with tension, events unfold hour by hour from the perspectives of nine people involved. They include Willie himself, who knows what really happened, and his father, desperately trying to reach the town jail to see his son one last time; the prosecuting lawyer, haunted by being forced to seek the death penalty against his convictions, and his wife, who believes Willie to be innocent; the priest who has become a friend to Willie; and a mother whose only son is fighting in the Pacific, bent on befriending her black neighbours in defiance of her husband.
In this exceptionally powerful novel, Elizabeth Winthrop explores matters of justice, racism and the death penalty in a fresh, subtle and profoundly affecting way. Her kaleidoscopic narrative allows us to inhabit the lives of her characters and see them for what they are - complex individuals, making fateful choices we might not condone, but can understand.
'It takes a brave writer to compose a novel about the execution of an African-American man in the Deep South when the topic has previously been brought to life by authors like Harper Lee and Ernest Gaines. There are multiple possibilities for failure: preachiness, melodrama and bias, to name a few. But Elizabeth H. Winthrop avoids these hazards by writing well, demonstrating once again that while the subject matter is the body of the narrative, the prose itself is the soul and the thing that makes a topic new. . . [The novel] gathers great power as it rolls on propelled by its many voices.' Tim Gautreaux, New York Times
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781473672499 |
| PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 272 |
Featured Reviews
Lucy W, Reviewer
A powerful and memorable novel, The Mercy Seat takes us through the hours of the final day before Will Jones must take his seat - in the electric chair. Sentenced to death for a 'crime' of passion, the young black man awaits his sentence. The narrative progresses through a multitude of characters, each with their own deep feelings about the case and the imminent events. Elizabeth H Winthrop leaves the reader with a profound sense of injustice following this exploration of racism and capital punishment. Very much recommended.
Laura d, Reviewer
This was difficult for me to read, but in a good way. This is a book that should be read by a lot of people. I enjoyed it a lot and it got me to ask a lot of questions
Bookseller 450674
True eye opener to the horrid time of the Jim Crow era. Hard to read at times, but a captivating tale.
Nick B, Reviewer
The Mercy Seat is a very elegant piece of writing. Set in Louisiana, 1943, we visit a small town on the eve of the execution of Will Jones, an 18 year old black man convicted of raping a white girl in her own bedroom. The point of view flits back and forth between various people touched by the impending execution - Will himself, his father, the DA and his family, a couple who run the petrol station, a prison trustee helping to relocate Gruesome Gertie, Father Hannigan... Each character is really clearly delineated; each has his or her own story to tell.
And quite beautifully, the various characters' stories draw parallels with one another. We explore fathers and sons, grief, racism, kindness, religion and, ultimately, the death penalty. Unlike many similar death row novels, this one does not beat the reader over the head with the weight of the message. We see an imperfect society that struggles to live with itself, conflicted in its prejudice and its desire for decency. The novel is devoid of sensation. It is almost humdrum in the processes and tasks that have to be accomplished to bring the weight of the law to bear on the hapless Will Jones.
In very few pages, in short snippets, Elizabeth H Winthrop creates a convincing world that fits perfectly in 1943, but rings uncannily true of modern, landlocked, small-town America. Sure, there are no more Jim Crow laws but all it takes is a casual glance at CNN to see that the law does not operate equally for black and white; for rich and poor. While supreme court judges pontificate in Washington DC, the law is actually applied by sheriffs, DAs and governors appealing to the redneck vote. The Mercy Seat keeps the reader mentally shuttling from history to current day and back again. It is deeply unsettling, showing us us how little social attitudes have changed.
The pacing is fantastic; never too slow and never rushed. We cover an astonishing amount of ground in a 24 hour period but it is manageable and memorable. The reader doesn't need to concentrate to keep track of people because it all fall into place so effortlessly. The ending, just like the
death penalty itself, fails to provide any form of adequate resolution; it leaves the reader spiralling in thought and what-ifs.
The Mercy Seat is not the only death row novel, but it must be one of the classiest.
Librarian 201634
A beautifully written heart-breaking book
The plot is built round the premise that a black youth has raped a white girl, but the reader knows form the outset that this is not true and that the pair (of age) had a consensual relationship. The black youth has been convicted and is on death row.
The format of the book is set in simple, mini chapters voiced by an individual character. The whole evocative & vividly described story is set over just a couple of days and as the tale unfolds the reader discovers painful truths; Lane’s son is dead but he can’t bring himself to tell his wife; the prosecutor’s family is threatened thus he finds Will guilty; things that we the reader see but the characters they affect don’t. The use of language is incisive & striking, the reader can feel the heat, sense the despair. The deliberate misuse of the title persecutor (i.e. prosecutor) for example is brilliant; an easy mistake for a child, but that is exactly what he has turned into!
Stunning read.
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