On Tour With "The Shape of Mercy" by Susan Meissner

Anyone who's been a reader here for any length of time knows just how much I love Susan Meissner's books. She has a way of wrapping tendrils of letters and pages around your heart and squeezing until you feel the story inside of you.



From early school-day projects to becoming editor of a local newspaper in Minnesota, Susan Meissner’s love for writing has been apparent her entire life. The Shape of Mercy is her latest novel in a string of books that delve into the deeper issues of life. She is the author of nine novels and lives with her family in San Diego, California. Find out more about her at www.susanmeissner.com.

She has done something so captivating in her latest release: she has captured the essence of women in her provocative and ingenious story, "The Shape of Mercy". As I turned the final page, I was moved to tears at the pure beauty found amidst the ugliest of times.

Lauren Durough was born the daughter of privilege. Reality of her station in life hits her in her early years...as well as the knowledge that her father had longed that his only child be a son.

As a result, Lauren has done everything in her power to distance herself from her family's wealth, even to the point of attending a state college instead of a prestigious university.

Tired of living on handouts from her father, Lauren seeks out employment. There, amidst the multitude of postings she finds a handwritten note on lavender stationery: Wanted, one transcriber for elderly, retired librarian.

Intrigued, Lauren meets with Abigail Boyles. It seems Abigail has in her possession an authentic ancestral diary written by the late Mercy Hayworth...

...a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials.

And Abigail need a trustworthy assistant to help transcribe the brittle and fading words. Together, Lauren and Abigail weave the shape and essence of Mercy: who she was, how she lived...and how she died.

Through that journey, all three women make discoveries of themselves...and are forever changed by the experience. Lush with authentic detail and filled with the horror of the time, Susan Meissner's new novel takes the mask off of femininity and replaces it with true beauty.

For true beauty IS the shape of mercy. Learning how to see others through the Father's eyes is but a microcosm of a bigger need. Pick up "The Shape of Mercy" and let your life story be intertwined with Lauren's, Abigail's....and Mercy's.

I'm giving "The Shape of Mercy" five out of five bookmarks, with an old-fashioned key as a charm. I pray this book unlocks the you Jesus created you to be, and sets you free as His agent of mercy!

Happy Reading!

Deena