The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Finnmark, Norway, 1617- An unexpected and violent storm hits off the coast of a small island named Vardo killing forty fisherman, including Maren Magnusdatter’s brother and father. In a village where most of the able bodied men have been wiped out, the women of this tiny Arctic island must learn to fend for themselves.  But this is a time where women were meant to keep the home and dressing like men and going out to fish for themselves was unacceptable and unnatural. A few years after the storm that changed their lives, a sinister Scotsman, Commissioner Absalom Cornet, comes to town. He gained his name and popularity for burning witches during the trials in Scotland. He brings with him his new Norwegian wife, Ursula, who is terrified of him. Ursa meets Maren and finds herself fascinated with the independent lifestyle these women lead. But she watches it slowly crumble as her husband’s reign of terror begins. Inspired by real life events, this book reveals both the beauty and the evil of human nature.      

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This book was a divergence from my usual historical fiction pick. Most notably, it wasn’t English history and it was much earlier than the typical 19/20th century picks I’m so addicted to. It was a very refreshing story and unlike anything I’d read before. The writing was very immersive, almost poetic, and made me feel each and every emotion in this book. I’ve read a lot of books based on witch trials but not one of them hit me as deeply as this one on how truly tragic that time really was. How thousands of women around the world suffered pointlessly on false and unproven accusations. It’s always been something horrific and sad but it’s never hit home quite as hard as this one. The author did a great job of plunging us into the lives of these people. I felt as if I was there and living the lives that real people back then must have lived, in isolation and in fear. I think the author did a phenomenal job bringing history to life before our eyes.  It was, however, an extremely slow-paced book and even given its brilliancy, I did find it somewhat hard to get through. As you can see I obviously have mixed feelings about this book.    

The main points of view of this story are between Ursa and Maren. We start off with Maren and experience the tragic storm and the following grief with her up until the point where the women start finding ways to fend for themselves. Then we switch to Ursa, a young well-to-do woman from the city of Bergen, basically being sold into marriage to a cold and intimidating commissioner. She’s then taken from the comforts she’s always known and shipped off to the rough wilds of the barren island of Vardo. There her and Maren meet, make friends, and fall in love. This is where I find it hard to form an opinion. The historical accuracy and the fascinating topics behind the plot were very well written and extensively researched, yet the plot that sits on top of the setting fell a bit flat for me. Ursa and Maren barely seem to know each other, they definitely don’t know about each other's pasts or likes and dislikes or anything remotely important yet there’s an attraction there. This star-crossed love seems based on almost nothing. It was very reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet or a Disney movie where the couple barely knows each other but we’re supposed to be convinced it’s this magnificent love story. I didn’t really buy it. It held no emotion for me and I found it very hard to be believable. Maren was so wrapped up in what was going on in her village that there wasn’t enough time in the novel to develop a love story from her end other than a few random passages about how she felt drawn to Ursa. In return, Ursa seemed to find Maren more of an escape from her husband's gruff treatment than someone she felt actual genuine feelings for… It was a tough sell for me.    

The characterization was good for Maren and strangely void of depth for Ursa. When I was reading from Maren’s point of view I felt the chill, the ominous feelings, the dread, the grief. I felt her longing for freedom, her elation (and fear) while being out to sea, and her entrapment within her own family. She was very well written and I connected with her instantly. I also understood a lot of her motivations. She had a tough go of it and tried to make the best. She had a good heart and managed to avoid the poisonous hate that sank into a lot of the women after so much grief. Ursa on the other hand was unreachable. I understood the terrifying path that her life took, but I didn’t understand her lifeless reactions to everything. She seemed to have zero ambition. She didn’t like her husband but did absolutely nothing to find other things to find comfort in. She had no regard for anyone “under” her in station (i.e. continuing to call the Sami people a word she knows is a hurtful slur). She expects the world to bend to her even when she’s at her lowest and doesn’t lift a finger to help her own situation. And not in a “my life took a drastic turn and I’m having a tough time dealing with it” sort of way, it was like she was a character devoid of basic human instinct for survival. I didn’t understand her at all. I felt sorry for her, I empathized with her, but I didn’t get her as a character at all. The rest of the characters felt realistic, the commissioner was a subtle threat for most of the book even though he didn’t do anything outright violent for a good majority of the story, and the situations and variety of personalities felt true to what you’d find in a small village like that in real life, the gossip, the rivalries, it was all true to form. Ursa was the only character that was an anomaly for me.    

Now for the parts I liked the best about this book. I cannot say it enough times: the historical accuracy was astounding. I googled a lot throughout this book and everything had a small ring of truth. Sure the characters were made up but they were based off of real people following very real events. It amazed me and I found it more immersive than any other historical fiction I’ve ever read. I think this book was a beautiful tribute to the many victims of the Norwegian witch trials of the 1600s. It made me stop and think about the women behind the stories, about how hard and terrifying everyday life must have been during this time. Losing all the men in your village, in your family, and having your entire way of life and old traditions questioned and then persecuted for them. Having to constantly watch over your shoulder to see if your neighbour will report you for being out too late or wearing pants. If someone has a small grudge against you all they had to do was point a finger and you were arrested and tossed into a freezing cold prison. I couldn’t imagine the fear that they lived with every single day. And then, throughout the centuries, this particular story was largely forgotten. Kiran Millwood Hargrave pointed a spotlight onto this small island and made me feel every terror threaded throughout this book, it was amazingly portrayed.    

Overall, it’s a good read, I recommend if you’re into historical fiction. Most of the characters are worth getting to know, it’s mainly my personal opinion on some of the plot points that are keeping me from loving it unconditionally. This book was a portrayal of the cruelty and evil that can invade humanity, and the courage and fortitude it took to survive in much harder times. 3 stars.