The Mercy Seat

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. - New York Times

In this spare, taut novel, the separate stories of the people around an execution join together to form a portrait of a town, a mentality, a moment in time. This is a compelling, sorrowful read, deeply perceptive and wonderfully full of grace.

This taut, deft novel asks us to look, and to look hard, and our willingness is profoundly honoured.

Please celebrate Winthrop’s audacious determination to walk through the narrative minefield of this account of an electrocution in the Deep South during the Gothic worst of Jim Crow times. Winthrop redeems her daring by lovely discipline and dignity, by the care she lavishes on each of her rounded characters. The Mercy Seat is a truly bravura performance.

Some novels seem to set your soul ablaze with an author-induced explosion of empathy for our flawed, beautiful world. The Mercy Seat does just that …astonishingly moving … Narrated in turn by nine characters, Winthrop’s story has the inexorable pace of a thriller; her writing of voice and character is masterful. And like the best fiction about the past, The Mercy Seat speaks to the challenges of the present. It’s an astonishing feat. - The Amazon Book Review

Winthrop creates a kaleidoscopic narrative that captures the wildly different perspectives of characters beyond accuser and accused… Suspenseful and highly nuanced, Winthrop’s novel raises profound questions about truth and justice. - 5 Hot Books, The National Book Review

This is an atmospheric, subtle and beautifully crafted portrait of a divided community, riven by prejudice. Echoing William Faulkner and Harper Lee, this moving novel has clear contemporary resonance. - Mail on Sunday

A heart-rending, devastating read.Nina Pottell, Prima - Prima