Mercy is a young woman who hates her name because it represents what she has lacked her whole life. And when faced with a choice between mercy and retribution, she chooses the latter and pays for it dearly.
I admit this was a difficult book to work through. As I read the last page and closed the cover, the word "raw" is what popped into my head. The book was a raw and painful look at Mercy's abusive childhood. The reader learns about Mercy's history through flashbacks. She was the victim of physical and sexual abuse that went on until the day she took matters into her own hands. The action she thought would free her merely led to another form of torment.
Leaving her childhood home, Mercy sets out on her own and meets a preacher on his way to help deliver a baby. Growing up, Mercy often accompanied her mother and helped deliver babies in their community and so offers to help the preacher. Mercy is rather mistrustful of all men in general and she wants to make sure that the new mother is safe.
Mercy doesn't count on finding a friend in this expectant mother. Even more surprising is seeing how much her new friend and her husband love and care for one another. Something Mercy can't quite understand. As Mercy stays on and helps the young family, she is soon faced with the opportunity to return love toward those who wronged her. But with all she experienced, how can she possibly extend the mercy she never received? Escaping a situation is not the same as finding freedom. Ultimately, Mercy had to find out that true freedom can only be found in Christ.
This is definitely a book for adults. The graphic nature of the abuse could leave some very disturbing images in a young person's mind. Not having been a victim of abuse, I can't speak to whether reading about someone else's pain will help heal one's own, but if the book can help mobilize greater efforts to end domestic abuse, that would be wonderful.
Sproles book could also help motivate people to consider becoming foster parents. There are so many children just like Mercy who need a safe place to live and grow. On the author's website you can read more about one family who answered the call to become foster parents.
Read an interesting interview of Cindy Sproles by blogger, Ann Cooper McCauley, with insights into Mercy's Rain as well as writing in general. You can visit the author's website to watch the book trailer, read more reviews, and get better acquainted with Cindy. And finally, you can read an excerpt to see if this book is for you.
Mercy's Rain can be purchased directly from Kregel Publications for $15.99.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Mercy's Rain in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received.
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