Book Review: The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson

Historical Fiction | Coming-of-age | England 1960’s | The Windrush Generation | Immigrant Experiences | Mother-daughter relationships | Identity

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Wordies, Oprah Winfrey recently said she is currently reading this book, and I am so excited to see it, because this book has received a lot of praise and is one of the most memorable stories I’ve read this year. The Mercy Step was published by prominent, independent, Black-owned publisher Cassava Republic. It was shortlisted for The Women’s Prize for Fiction and won Book of the Year: Discover Award at The British Book Awards. The author, Marcia Hutchinson, was named one of The Observer’s best new novelists and top debut authors. A huge triumph, especially considering that the novel received 54 rejections from mainstream publishers. And something tells me this is only the beginning.

Before we get into the review, here is how Cassava Republic introduced their newest reader to us!

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Told through the eyes of a middle child called Mercy, we explore what it is like to grow up being the different one out of your siblings. We witness how identity is formed by watching your parents. From language, outlook, relationships and culture, curious Mercy has to grapple with what is right and what she wants to be from a young age.

It’s no easy task.

Mercy is 2nd Gen Windrush, the generation who bore the brunt of any hardship 1st Gen Windrush went through as they worked to rebuild the country and settle into spaces that were not always welcoming. Mercy’s generation were raised witnessing their parents’ struggles and secrets and had to suffer all of the racism and culture clashing, without having a direct reference to their parent’s homelands to ground them, in a lot of cases. They had to build an identity and sense of belonging from scratch.

‘Sister Thompson tells Mummy not to worry because God sees all and her reward is in heaven. Mercy would much rather have a reward on earth.’

I adore how Hutchinson walked us through what it was all like through Mercy. And Mercy is a spirited character that you cannot help but love. Despite everything she goes through and witnesses, she is funny and determined.

I was moved by her journey and relationship with her mother. I can’t get over how masterfully Hutchinson carried us through the journey I think every daughter goes through, starting with not really knowing where you end and your mother begins, to recognising that you are not your mother, and you have to see her for who she is and decide how you want to move forward with that information.

The opening scene and style were unusual. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it at first – conveying a child’s mentality without the voice sounding a bit cheesy is hard to pull off. But this author did it. Not only that, but the voice matured with Mercy.

‘This was momentous news. You could read the books, find out all the knowledge and store it in your head. Once it was in your head, nobody could take it back out again.’

There was a lot that Mercy had to grow through (trigger warnings at the end). Much of it is relatable and some, I hope, is not. The author steers us through all of Mercy’s challenges in a way that provides context and awareness without weighing us down. Mercy’s reprieve became our reprieve. Her joy, our joy. Her absolute pure and ecstatic joy at the concept of a library was truly moving.

This book is a future classic as far as I’m concerned, and needs to be part of the conversation when looking at Britain in the late 1960’s and in Black British culture and history. Such an important read.

You can get a copy of The Mercy Step here.

Or you can search for other Black British books on our very own Black British Booklist.

Trigger Warnings:

[Open to see list]

Child abuse, divorce, death of a parent, bullying, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, racism and xenophobia, religious bigotry, death of a child

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