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The Value of Mercy
Mercy Town follows a reporter returning to her rural hometown, who digs into the town’s latest development project, where she is forced to unearth and deal with the long-buried trauma of her younger brother’s accidental death. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My inspiration came from a short story I published many years ago, “When the Sun Kissed the River.” The story ended with the accidental shooting of Bean, Margaret’s younger brother. It focused on the beauty of the natural world and how the arrival of spring stirred joy and excitement in a young boy’s heart. At his sister’s urging, he walked to the little bridge at just the right moment to see the water below sparkle like diamonds. What was a magical moment was also a sudden tragedy. The short story’s ending was not the true ending. I wanted to know what happened to the family and to the town after such a tragic accident and what impact it had on everyone.
I enjoyed the depth of the main character, Margaret. What was your process to bring that character to life?
Bringing Margaret to life was all about exploring the relationships she had with her family, the people of Waunasha, and most powerfully, with Mr. Kipp, the man who accidentally shot her younger brother. Her life emerged through raw, honest dialogue and the emotional weight carried in those exchanges. I focused not only on what she said and did, but also on what she thought—the inner dialogue that revealed her doubts, grief, and resilience. The interactions and private thoughts make a character real.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The value of mercy and the power of unconditional forgiveness were the top two themes that were important to show in this story.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
After the book ends, the characters are still healing. Even though it has been ten years since the accidental shooting, the intense emotions of the Payne family and the residents of Waunasha will gradually find a place to settle, finding forgiveness along the way, but never forgetting. Margaret will continue writing feature stories for the newspaper, but with more of an emphasis on how a single, life-altering event can ripple through an entire community. Her parents will feel a new sense of freedom as they learn to accept mercy and forgiveness. The people of Waunasha move on, remembering Mr. Kipp with a more compassionate understanding.
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After years away, Margaret Payne returns to her rural northern Wisconsin hometown on a work assignment, only to find it still haunted by the tragic accidental shooting of her younger brother, Bean. Amidst the lingering pain, Margaret uncovers plans for a development on Dell Landing, a hill home to generations of Indigenous people—including Mr. Kipp, the reclusive man responsible for Bean’s death.
With her mother trapped in denial, her father consumed by anger, and a town bitterly divided, Margaret must confront both the past and the present, rising tensions. Facing Mr. Kipp will test everything she believes, but before it’s over, Margaret will discover the freeing power of unconditional forgiveness—even for her brother’s killer.
A poignant, redemptive tale, Mercy Town reminds us how forgiveness, even in the deepest sorrow, heals wounds, binds us as human beings, and remains truly unconditional.
Mercy Town
Nancy Chadwick’s Mercy Town is a tender and stirring story about grief, forgiveness, and the roots that keep us tethered to home, whether we like it or not. It follows Margaret “Ret” Payne, a reporter who returns to her rural hometown of Waunasha, Wisconsin, under the guise of a journalistic assignment. As she digs into the town’s latest development project, she’s forced to unearth the long-buried trauma of her younger brother’s accidental death and confront the emotional wreckage that followed. It’s a story that swings between past and present, personal memory and community reckoning, heartbreak and healing.
Reading Mercy Town hit me harder than I expected. Chadwick’s writing is patient. Her prose breathes, settling deep into the emotional grain of things without ever rushing. She’s especially good at capturing the feel of a small town. Its rhythms, its silences, its gossip, its grudges. The scenes between Margaret and her husband Jesse are warm and believable, full of the kind of understated affection that makes a relationship feel real. And Bean, Margaret’s younger brother, is rendered so vividly in memory that his absence aches. Chadwick doesn’t just tell us what loss looks like. She lets us sit with it, wander around inside it, and see how it shapes a life.
Some scenes leaned on introspection and repetition, and the back-and-forth between timelines occasionally blurred the story’s forward motion. Still, I appreciated that the book didn’t sugarcoat the complexity of grief. Margaret isn’t always likable, and she doesn’t have all the answers. But that’s what made her journey resonate. There’s something relatable in her hesitation, in the way she avoids her pain until it corners her. The way Chadwick threads this emotional unraveling through the lens of a journalist chasing a story made for a compelling structure.
I’d recommend Mercy Town to readers who enjoy quiet, character-driven novels with emotional depth. If you’ve ever carried the weight of unfinished grief or struggled to forgive someone (including yourself), this book will feel like a gentle, persistent tug at your heart. It’s not a fast read, but it’s a worthwhile one.
Pages: 248 | ASIN : B0DVD27S8R
LITERARY TITAN 