Blue Mercy

by Orna Ross

A literary family drama with patricide at its heart.

When Mercy Mulcahy was 40 years old, she was accused of killing her elderly and tyrannical father. Now, at the end of her life, she has completed a book about what really happened on that fateful night of Christmas Eve, 1989.

The tragic and beautiful Mercy has devoted her life to protecting Star from her grandfather. His behavior so blighted her own life as a child – she never wanted it to touch her darling daughter.

Yet Star refuses to read a word. Her contempt for Mercy is as painful as it is inexplicable.

What has Mercy done? What is she hiding? Was her father's death, as many believe, an assisted suicide?

Or something even more sinister?

In this book, nothing is what it seems on the surface, and everywhere there are emotional twists and surprises.

Set in Ireland and California, Blue Mercy is a compelling family mystery, combing lyrical description with a page-turning style.

Praise for Orna Ross and Blue Mercy

“A lyrical, gripping and heartbreakingly beautiful tale of love, loss and the ever-present possibility of redemption.” — WE Magazine for Women

“Epic sweep...ambitious scope... an intelligent book”. — Sunday Tribune

“A riveting story...vividly brought to life.” — Emigrant Online

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Ireland, Drama, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Horror

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2012

About the author

Orna Ross is an award-winning historical novelist, poet, and founder-director of the global non-profit for self-publishing writers, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).

An international bestseller, she enjoys book sales in 120+ countries worldwide and her awards include the Goethe Historical Fiction Grand Prize Award for fiction, Gold Literary Titan award for poetry, the Romantic Novelists Association's Indie Champion Award, The Writers' Digest's Top Websites for Writers, and The Bookseller's Top 100 people in publishing.

In what she describes as “the best move of my writing life”, Orna took her book rights back from her publishers in 2011. The experience has made her a passionate advocate for the commercial and creative empowerment of authors through self-publishing and selective rights licensing.

Reviews

[Debbie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I hadn't known that Orna Ross also writes poetry, I'd have guessed it from the lyrical flow and language of this compelling contemporary novel. Breathtakingly powerful phrases pepper the pages, little puffs of magic whose brilliance takes you by surprise.

The novel's ambitious structure hops smoothly between timeframes, and between Ireland and the USA. Its interesting characters develop convincingly, all products of their family, their heritage and their time, no matter how much they try to shake those factors off. Calmly, bravely and effectively the author tackles difficult, taboo topics (which I won't name here for fear of spoiling the plot), adding enormous breadth to the central theme of the story: the development of a mother-daughter relationship. There were also some extraordinary surprises as the reader is brought full circle from the opening scene of conflict to the unexpected but oddly satisfying resolution.

A truly literary modern novel that raises the bar for modern family dramas, this book put me in mind of the only other book that I can remember reading at a single sitting, transported by its writing style: Virgina Woolf's "Mrs Dalloway".

I hugged my own daughter for a long time after I finished reading this book.

[R.J. Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was tempted to give this four stars because I know that readers can be suspicious of five. But, really, this may be the best book I read this year—it’s certainly up there with MaddAddam and Stone Mattress, both by Margaret Atwood, and I gave the full five stars to each of those. What makes my enjoyment of the book difficult to understand is that I detested each of the two women, the mother and daughter, on whom the story turns. Wonderfully written and wonderfully worked out.

[Jaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very hard to put down. The relationship between mothers and daughters is complex, conflicted, and paradoxical to some degree or other no matter who those mothers and daughters are. In this book, it becomes intensified due to the nature of other relationships existing at the same time. This story was very intense and highly emotional but to me, it rang true all the way through. The honesty and integrity were always there for the reader, and if they were sometimes submerged between the book’s characters, it was for reasons that could be readily identified and empathized with. Very well done, and I recommend it to anyone who has been a mother or a daughter or who has a mother or a daughter of their own.

[Ruby Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pick a colour (my favourite is blue). Pick a fabric (okay, silk). Sprinkle it with your favourite fragrance (mine is Light Blue by D&G, no kidding!) Draw the material to you, inhale, clutch it to your face and neck. How does it make you feel? Good, isn't it? That's how I felt while reading Blue Mercy by Orna Ross.

I somehow ended up with this book on my kindle, one of a number I'd loaded up for the summer break. Within a few pages I was hooked. The story starts with heavy baggage. Three generations of a family have reached the end of the road and the book is all about unfolding the events that led there. The main vehicle for this is the Blue Mercy Manuscript, a memoir left to the daughter when her mother dies. I'm not going to try and summarise the events of Blue Mercy. Calamitous occurrences, major life choice mistakes, dark secrets and tragic bad luck, it all happens to Mercy and her daughter Star. The mother has the benefit of hindsight as she revisits her journey from rebellious teenager to flower child, single mom and quite suddenly an old and ailing woman. She acknowledges her own weaknesses and strengths, conveys the despair of trying to raise a daughter with serious behavioural problems and carries her beauty, wherever she goes, like a deadly weapon over which she has limited control.

The contrast between Mercy and Star is acute. They're physically very different and that's important to the story. Star's bulk casts a shadow throughout and her self-loathing is palpable. Mercy is gorgeous but she hates herself for being weak willed. The two women are at irreconcilable loggerheads, putting up a united front only when three men enter their lives at different times, each leading to a different kind of disaster.

There's a twist in the tale. In fact, there are two twists. If you see them coming you're more perceptive than I was. Cruel fate indeed.

Blue Mercy is wonderfully written. Orna Ross, it turns out, is a mainstream published author turned indie. I wish, can only hope, that one day I'll be able to write like her.

There's a moral in the story of Blue Mercy. Life is not a rehearsal, this is it. You have one life, live it.

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an intelligent book and I enjoyed some of it. However, the main characters (Mercy Mulcahy, her daughter Star and lover Zach) are a little too over the top. The relationship between mother and daughter is intense, fretful and downright tedious. Their inability to communicate just goes on and on and on. Zach actually becomes the lover of both women which is just too odd and unrealistic. The story jumps back and forth between time lines and places (Ireland & California) and the timeline information left me in complete and utter confusion. That caused me to rethink the entire story up to that point, only to have to do it again at another timeline intervention. Still, I was compelled to read it all the way through - the last portion of which deals with Mercy being on trial for the "Mercy" killing of her ailing and abusive father and the end result of this on her relationships. Very strange and convoluted story to say the least.

[JL Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was truly beautiful and the story unfolded wonderfully. What I couldn't connect with was the characters. I hated how angry and mean Star was toward her mother for what seems like no reason. Even when everything unfolded with Zach, Star acted like Mercy was to blame. And Mercy, she kowtowed way to much to Star's whims and tantrums. I think I would have loved this story more if I could connect more with the characters.

[Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I am one of the few people who did not like this book. Too much jumping around and I hated the characters. The mother was a martyr and the daughter was awful. I kept waiting for some big secret that would explain the reason why Star was so angry with her mother. But there was nothing. Didn't like it at all.

[Kim Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really gripping book. It details the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, both who have been deprived of a father. The way Ross structures the story is very compelling as she gives windows into both mother and daughter's thoughts.

I've read her two other books After the Rising and Before the Fall, and this is just as good. I love how she keeps the reader guessing while involving them with the characters.

[Jeannine Wickliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like books dealing with family secrets and the twists that occur to families, you will enjoy this book. We meet Mercy at age 40 and she is standing trial for the death of her father. Then the book takes you back over Mercy's life after she moves to America, the people she meets, the life she lives raising her daughter, Star. It shows how imperfect all our lives are and how things from the past can and will effect things in the present. It deals with the anger of a child who doesn't understand and the sorrow of a mother who doesn't know how to explain her past and how it has effected everything else. This is not an easy book but it is a thought provoking book that not only looks at how things were back in the 90's but also how it effected our children. This book book is not full of well being and hope but one of hurt, anger, and a searching for answers that are not easy.

[ProofProfessor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a well-written book, subtle, withheld and working on the reader in a liminal way. The narrative starts with one idea, or event, which by the end is resolved (perhaps).
However, there are far too many (40+) errors of spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation, including one on the cover, which mars the book for the reader sensitive to good spelling, grammar and punctuation; for example: ‘Passchendale’ (p173), ‘a girl’s school’ (p150) and ‘11thth’ (p88). ‘Santa Paolo’ (passim) should be ‘Santa Paula’. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’ is predated to 1964. The text mixes US and GB spelling seemingly at random. It’s as if no editorial system was put in place.
I’m grading it 4* for the writing, and 1* for editing/proofreading. The publisher, Font Publications, has no website or Twitter profile that I can see. It is a pity that the book was not properly proofread by them, especially as Orna Ross is part of ALLi and thus presumably could provide access to one of its Partner Members. But alas, proper proofreading seems to have been unimportant.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. Mercy is accused of murdering her father many years ago. She has a daughter, Star who she wants to protect from her grandfather. Star dislikes her mother. The story delves into the lifes of this family and leads the reader down a confusing path. No real surprises but all in all a good read.

[Anita]

What a dynamic. Uffda

[Caroline Andereck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written and the story is very good. The sacrifices the mother made over the years-touched my heart heavy.

[Margaret Pillay · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a mixed up story and unpleasant characters.

[Judith Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loss and love! A read that's both sweet and savory. At a time of great upheaval in our world, this book brings you back to the basics of family and the ties that bind across generations. Read it!

[Lorraine Devon Wilke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fascinating read, with an original and deeply felt story, and characters fully realized and unique in their quirks, traits, and emotional proclivities. Orna Ross has a beautiful command of the language and a lovely way of rolling out a story, taking us places and introducing us to her characters with skillful, poetic prose.

Set in both Ireland and California, "place" is rich and tangibly created in all its sensorial detail (felt like I could literally smell the green surrounds of Mercy's hometown in Ireland!). I found the sensitive exploration of body image (particularly of females) and compulsive eating issues as related to the daughter, Star, to be compelling and timely. The narrative, with its many plot lines, time jumps, and changes in point of view, was both challenging and intriguing, but I never got lost along the line of "who's talking?" or felt the time jumps took away from the overall story arc. Ross does a good job of defining those jumps, though there were times that the older, more mature Star sounded too far from the snarling, bitter girl of her youth... but that could be forgiven, as one assumes the snarling girl matured and changed over a lifetime. I also had moments when the character of Zach felt almost preternaturally beneficent and holy, to the point that credulity was strained (especially after the central plot twist), but again, forgave it with the presumption that such men DO exist in this world. :)

My only issue with Mercy was her rather unlikely and self-negating choice made at the end, with its subsequent turnaround of her attachment to Zach, and, in fact, an almost a complete turnaround of her personality as we’d come to know it. This was all explained at the end by her daughter, Star, and I think that transformation might have been more believable had it been put in Mercy's words. As it was, Star's telling—in her mature older voice—felt a bit detached, observational rather than experiential, to have such a major character evolution NOT be seen through the pov of evolving character who’d been the main narrator throughout. An author's choice, surely, but one that was not fully successful to me as a reader.

Also, part of that could be the odd little formatting snafu in my particular Kindle copy: I was rolling along toward the end of the book, reading the chapter titled "Starburst," when that chapter rather abruptly ended, with the words "The End" and the following pages filled with copyright and contact information, the usual stuff one finds at end of the book. No reason to believe it wasn’t the end, so I put it down, shaking my head, thinking, "Damn, after such a great book it just ENDS so abruptly and without a conclusion that felt emotionally 'concluding' or satisfying!" This surprised and disappointed me, so much so that later I went back to my Kindle, pulled it up again, and actually scrolled past that "The End" and copyright/contact pages, and EUREKA! there was another whole chapter! This chapter was titled “Starlight” and DID bring the book to a much more satisfying conclusion.

I didn't notice any other reviewers mention this problem, so perhaps it (oddly) occurred only in my Kindle copy, but should you find yourself at "the end" and feel like the book just...isn't (ended, that is! :), odds are good you too have gotten a copy with this formatting snafu. I hope the author sees this and has the opportunity to correct the problem... it's much too good a book to leave a reader feeling unsatisfied and confused at such a pivotal point in the narrative!

[Theodora Gotsis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mother (Mercy) and daughter (Star) are not like many families but all they have are each other. When Mercy feels compelled to return to Ireland after running to America as a teenager, she finally has the time to comb through the wreckage of her life. As a writer, Mercy attempts to do the only thing that will tell her daughter the truth about her life and the many unanswered questions that form the pain that is eating at their lives.

Mostly through Mercy's first - person narrative, we wander through the years from Ireland countryside to California and then back again. Every now and again, we hear Star's voice as she responds to her mother's tell - all novel, just enough times to make you start to doubt the validity of the narrator. The story does take place over many years - approximately 50 or 60 years - so sometimes there is a meandering quality that looks at the beauty of nature and the gentleness and cruelty of words. There is a question that is asked from the beginning of the novel - actually there are two questions - that keep you gripped. The first question is how did Mercy's pain - addled tyrant of a father die and who did it. The second question is why does the adult Star hate her mother so much. There are answers to these questions and they are well thought out and executed throughout the story.

When I came across Blue Mercy, I was intrigued by the story, but I was immediately hooked by the writing. I received a lot of pleasure simply in the process of reading. As much as I wanted to know what was going to happen, when I found out I was left wanting to read more. It felt like saying goodbye to a terribly interesting stranger I met on the train. I'll never forget this story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was tempted to give Blue Mercy four stars owing to feeling unnecessarily frustrated at times by the jumps around in time (compounded for me by chapters being named as dates, at least two of which included the number '8'-- I've never been great with numbers!) I also found that I had to go back and re-read the opening few pages several times to work out who was who! However *don't let this put you off*. The quality of the writing is breathtaking, and Ross tackles hugely difficult themes and inner conflicts balancing brutal honesty with lyrical sensitivity - the vividness of her writing taking you deep into her characters' psyches. The result, in my view, is a book that sits up there with the very best in literary fiction. I won't repeat the basic plot - the other reviews here do that admirably.

(For the record Hilary Mantel drove me mad with her unhelpful use of 'He' in Wolf Hall -- but I still rate that 5 Stars, and Ross deserves no less!)

[J.F. Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literary fiction with a mystery at its heart. Mercy Mulcahy's father asks her to help him die when he is already dying a painful death. He just wants it over with. Assisted dying is a cause that needs highlighting - our sick animals can die peacefully in the arms of those who love them, but not our sick people. But in Ireland, as in the rest of the world, this is considered murder and she is accused of it, standing trial and watched by her daughter and lover.

But this is not the main thrust of the book, and Ross doesn't make this easy reading. For this is a tale of family dysfunction, of men and women, of mothers and daughters, love, hate and duty. You will find yourself examining your own relationships, and questioning what you would do, what you would give up for the ones you love. Highly recommended.

[T.A. Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Mercy, and hated her, but always related to her. Same with Star. When I got to the twist, I said out loud, "That's a shocker." I never saw it coming. Well done!

This book had me thinking about my relationships with my mother and my daughter. How did my mother mess me up? How did I mess my daughter up? It made me regret somethings, rejoice in other things. Again, well done.

Some reviewers have noted they didn't like the jumping around in time. I don't usually, but I thought it was handled very well and was also important to the integrity of the plot. I loved the two different settings, representing Mercy's different views of herself and her life. Ireland has been my go-to book setting place recently. :-)

I have another book of Orna's on my Kindle and look forward to reading that soon.

[Jodie Downes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The editing isn't the greatest but once you accept it, and read it as it should have been written, the story pulls you in. Though the subject can be quite hard going at times, it was easy to read quickly and I was desperate to figure it out, which I didn't. At first I wasn't entirely sure I was enjoying it, but the last 40% of it, I devoured, unable to put it down.

Told from mother and daughters point of view, there is a bit of repetition, but the insight it brings makes it worthwhile. A typical teenage American girl clashing with a hippie at heart mother who wants her daughter to be happy more than anything. The intertwining of their lives more unimaginable than you could think, even when it's already there before you realise.

I was surprised by how much I actually came to like this book. Perseverance is the key.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about the relationship between a mother and daughter, and a mother and her father. Mercy gets away from Ireland as soon as she can, from under the authority of a stern and angry father. She has a baby while living with her boyfriend in a commune. Later they get married then divorce and she moves to California to raise her daughter. Her daughter, Star, is a troubled child, and mother and daughter have a contentious relationship. Mercy returns to Ireland to nurse her terminally ill father who dies on Christmas Eve. Was it assisted suicide or did he do it himself? Mercy is arrested for the crime.

The book is meant to be the book Mercy writes, telling her story to her daughter. It jumps around in time a little bit and we get some of it from Star's point of view. It's exquisitely written and the characters are vivid and real. Very much enjoyed it.

[Kate Millin · Rating 4 out of 5]

At his story jumps timelines a few times - which I found did not help me get into the book to start off. As it developed, though, the story began to grip me. There are 2 main protagonists - Star and her mother, Mercy who is writing/ has written a book for her explaining about her history. It includes a twist about Zack which I had guessed before it happens. It is set in Ireland and America and explores the effect your upbringing has on your later relationships, and the fact that even when things are bad if you keep going and have a focus (for Mercy this was Star) you can get through them and things will improve, even if some things you do my come back to bite you later.

[Jennifer Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had mixed reactions to this book. Although very well-written, with one superb plot twist later on in the book, I found myself mostly disliking both Mercy, and her daughter, Star. The story is a most disturbing one of a dysfunctional mother and daughter relationship, one which highlights both characters' supreme flaws and weaknesses. Although I always like flawed characters in fiction, these two left me open-mouthed at times, unable to identify at all with the reasons behind their behaviour and decisions. Perhaps that's exactly why I kept reading to the end, where the final plot twist was, for me, a real head-scratcher.

[Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have twice tried to write a review, each time when I pressed 'save' it obliterated what I had written! One more try:
This was a fascinating story. It goes between Ireland and the USA (California) and covers many of the stages of feminism and New Age beliefs of the 1960's to now.
If I have a criticism it is that the time-frame shifts were confusing and using aKindle it was hard to flip back and forth - indeed it was impossible (my kindle is old) so I felt I was losing clues to how the mystery was unfolding. HOwever, I was hooked and would read moreof Orna Ross's work.

[Mary Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Star crossed family

The family dynamics are a bit far fetched to me. A plucky Irish lass leaves behind her overbearing dad to pursue love and freedom in the U.S.. She has a daughter and the fella takes off to be drunk without nagging or responsibility. What a noble gal, often helped by friends who hardly warrant a mention. The daughter grows to a fat and surly. Long suffering mom finds new love with a young pup of a boy. He is nobly dropped to focus on daughter. Which only makes the daughter worse. Hard to feel much sympathy for any of them. It goes on but why?

[Linda Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there were six stars to give, I would give Ross's Blue Mercy, six stars. Seldom have I been so engrossed in a book from start to finish that all I wanted to do was read it, that I thought about it when I wasn't reading it and was sad when it was over. This is one of the best novels I have read in years, and the fact that it is Indie published, makes me smile. I will be recommending this book to my book club - and that's a good thing, because I'll get to read it again.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had somewhat of a jarring format as it jumped around and was occasionally hard to follow. Once I got the rhythm of the writing, I enjoyed the story. I thought the relationship between the mother and daughter was intense and ugly at times, but it made it a compelling read. Not an easy read and may leave the reader somewhat dissatisfied with the conclusion.

[Carolann Copland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grasps the senses on every level. Mercy's pained relationship with her daughter Star pulls at your heart strings and Ross writes of Californian and Irish landscapes as though you were sitting alongside the characters viewing it for yourself. The plot is compelling and the ending, whilst not a happy ever after, is wholly satisfying. A fulfilling read.

[Rena Searles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A complex murder mystery, intertwined with a dysfunctional family history. Although the author has great writing skills, the back and forth of the puzzle pieces was rather confusing and tended to defuse the momentum of the storyline, in my opinion . I was still left with unanswered questions and found it difficult to feel sympathy for the two main characters.