Review: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

 

Title: The Mercies

Author: Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Published: January 28th 2020, Pan Macmillan Australia

Status: Read January 2020, courtesy Pan Macmillan/Netgalley

++++++

My Thoughts:

The Mercies is a historical fiction novel from Kiran Millwood Hargrave, an award winning poet, playwright, and children’s author.

As Hargrave explains in a note, The Mercies is inspired by historical fact. In 1618 King Christian began a crusade to convert his subjects to his own religious persuasion and employed an enforcer to expose non-believers, particularly amongst the indigenous Sámi in Finnmark (Northern Norway). In all, fourteen Sámi men were executed, accused of sorcerery, but the Lensmann wasn’t satisfied with his remit, and over the next few years he was responsible for the trial, and execution of, 77 Norwegian women named as witches.

Hargrave begins her story in 1617 as a freak midwinter storm hits Vardø, Norway’s north-easternmost point, leaving the women of the island devastated as their fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons perish in the vicious squall. As the bodies of their men, dragged from the sea, lay shrouded awaiting spring’s arrival for burial, the womenfolk grieve, but once they are laid to rest they must confront their need for survival. Defying convention a small group take up the menfolk’s duties, among them twenty year old Maren Bergensdatter. For nearly three years the village manages in this way, led by Kirsten Sørensdatter, who also lost her husband.

The author skilfully evokes the isolated and harsh environment of Vardø, with its subarctic climate where the land is frozen solid during winter, and summer brings the midnight sun. The conditions in which the villagers live are generally basic, entire families live in one room huts, with fish, reindeer meat and potato bread providing the bulk of their diet, relying on infrequent opportunities for trade for additional resources.

All of the community attend church (kirke) weekly, but the beliefs of the indigenous Sámi have a place in the life of many. In the wake of the tragedy, with the absence of someone to blame for their misfortune, some women seek refuge in the teachings of the church, and their righteousness, born in part from the bitterness of grief, begins to divide the community. The arrival of Lensmann Absolom Cornet, an ambitious and pious Scotsman directed by the King to quash the ‘sorcery’ practiced by the Sámi, along with his new bride, Ursula, serves only to deepen the rift.

The Mercies unfolds from the perspectives of Maren and Ursula, both of whom are struggling with the changes in their lives. Maren, who lost her father, brother, and betrothed, must step up to support her widowed mother and pregnant sister-in-law who are consumed by their grief, and play peacemaker as the two women turn on each other. Ursula quickly discovers that her new husband is a prideful and often hateful man, and she is ill prepared for both the duties of a wife and life in Vardø. Despite their differences, the two young women unexpectedly find comfort in each other. Hargrave’s portrayal of their evolving friendship is achingly tender, and a counterpoint to the rising tension in both Ursula’s marriage and Maren’s community.

When it comes, the conclusion of The Mercies is powerful and devastating. Eloquent and beautifully crafted, this is a captivating novel about love, fear, obsession, and evil.

++++++

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