For Love & Mercy

Rating 4 out 5

"Love is love. It is eternal."

In 2022, forty-two year old Dr Stormy Hera, a music professor, is serving a manslaughter sentence at Sunnydale Forensic Hospital in British Columbia. Although she can't recall committing the crime, she feels strongly that she did the right thing. In hopes of jogging her memory and healing her soul, Stormy is tasked with writing her autobiography as part of her rehabilitation. Spanning the 1940's to 2026 and set in the Saskatchewan prairies, Olympia, Greece and Canada's West Coast, For Love & Mercy follows the lives of Evangeline and Stormy- including a near death experience that changes everything.

This book is very much a moving examination of love, loss, courage and forgiveness. It starts with Stormy in a mental health institution and tasked with writing her autobiography, which for all intents and purposes seems to contradict the murder she committed. The story is beautifully written and explores events through the perspective of the major players in the story. It is above all a moving examination of true love. A love that withstands time and all obstacles.

I loved that this story was told in snippets of reflections because it gave pieces of the story without necessarily giving everything away immediately. The author does a marvelous job of transporting you into the story and connecting with her characters. The story covers some pretty heavy topics and does so in a beautiful way. The author gives each new revelation and then a moment to recover from it before moving on to the next one.

Even though some of the moments in the story were predictable and easy to see coming, the novel was well written with an interesting perspective. I enjoyed the narrative style the author used and the overall story. I think this is one that should be added to your TBR for sure. It's an emotional read but one that is worth it.