Thrilling. Gripping. A beautiful, lyrical marriage of past and present, of the real and the magical/mystical, of youth and aging, and of history and memory… all told through the voices - the experiences - of multiple women across no fewer than three generations… all wrapped up in a love letter to Nova Scotia - the people (everyday folk as well as cultural/artistic icons) and the landscapes (Annapolis Valley and environs).

This is perfect for anyone who loves a great gothic novel. Conlin builds the tension slowly, moving back and forth in time, divulging just enough, but not too much with every flashback, and subsequent return to the present. Her consideration of the role of trauma, and the recovery of memory - like a sea fog lifting - is finely nuanced, and never casts blame on the victims. Indeed it is a celebration - in stark contrast to the dark acts of men - of the value to be found in communities of women bearing the burden of being women, and also doing what women do to protect one another.

The writing - the sentences, the word craft - is exquisite. I found myself stopping - frequently - just to savour the words and phrases. I do however think that the story could have been told without having to bring Mal into the picture, into the narrative. She is little more than a convenient plot device, while (most of) the rest of the (female) characters are fully realised and integral to the - eventual - unfolding of the story.

I also enjoyed that the author gets very meta at times… enjoying some playful moments, with passages like: imagining that ‘if this were a short story’ (p3); and the exhortation to ‘(l)ive life as though you’re in a novel’ (p48); or referencing Elizabeth Bishop who herself was, essentially, orphaned - her mother being institutionalised - and sent away to live with relatives; or my favourite... the character who had dropped out of the UBC creative writing programme (p52)... Conlin of course being a graduate of said programme.

Mercy is most definitely more than twice given in this novel.

The Speed of Mercy immediately introduces a number of strong female characters that range in age from youth to elderly and are spaced across the two time periods through which the novel moves. The book is about friendships among women and their protection for each other - in a physical sense as well as in an emotional, a psychological, and even a magical way.

At the heart of the story is a mystery about an event that occurred at Mercy Lake in Nova Scotia a few decades in the past. A sometime podcaster, Mal, seeking to gain respect for her work and somewhat bored during Covid (yes, this novel incorporates the world of Covid in which we find ourselves), discovers some strands of this mystery and goes in search of the truth. This takes her from her native Big Sur in California to Florida and then to Nova Scotia, where we learn the color of her skin stands out in the very white north.

In the present, she seeks to connect with Stella, a survivor of the mysterious event, who has been a resident at a care home ever since, having lost her ability to speak. Stella has also buried her memories so deep that they are even a mystery to herself. Stella’s best friend at the home is Dianne, a friendship that is deep and meaningful for both in spite of the fact that only one of them can communicate verbally. It is into this world that Mal seeks to ingratiate herself to uncover the mystery, all the while learning that she might herself be in danger for poking around into the secret society whose past is intertwined with the event.

The novel also takes the reader back in time to the weeks and months leading up to the mysterious event. Stella and her father, recently rendered motherless and widowed, respectively, by a car accident, move back to his hometown in Nova Scotia. Stella’s personality has changed from a sunny disposition to a traumatized teen, and her relationship with her father is uncertain. Upon entry to her new home in Nova Scotia, Stella befriends Cynthia, who has her own dark secrets and family baggage. The two girls are on the precipice of adulthood and at the mercy of dangerous games and histories of their menfolk.

Through strong friendships and multi-generational support these women seek to find a safe place in the world, even if that sometimes means being driven into self-protected shelter like in Stella’s case.

The characters in this novel are very human and believable even when contending with some elements of the supernatural. The value of human kindness is the lesson the ekes out of this novel even though it is juxtaposed with human cruelty.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this novel. The characters, setting, and plot kept me highly engaged and curious about the outcome. The fact that the novel also incorporated Covid made it very much of this time while also serving as a bit of a shock to the system that we have been in this pandemic world long enough for a novel to include it. Some of the elements of the secret society and the mystery itself (which I will not share since it would spoil the book) risked bordering on the cliche, but the rest of the novel surrounding it prevented it from falling into that trap in my opinion. The voices in the novel were representative of diverse voices in a positive way, including Stella’s mental struggles that rendered her mute and a secondary character who is transgendered. (TW: There are instances of sexual assault with underage victims in this novel that may be upsetting to some readers.)

I look forward to checking out some of Conlin’s other novels!

Told in flip flopping time lines “The Speed of Mercy” tells the story of Stella. Stella has a secret, a secret so dark and deep that her body has literally taken away her ability to speak about it.
At 13 years old, Stella was involved in a car accident that had taken the life of her mother and left her in a coma for 2 months. Her father, after the accident (and Stella’s minor recovery) gets convinced to move back to his home town, so with his daughter in tow they move back to Seabury, Nova Scotia. Once there Stella meets the Seabury’s (the family for which the town was named) and begins to realize that there is something very different about this town and it occupants.
Stella tells her story between the “HAHA” moments of her life, before, during and after the “Horrible Accident” and the “Horrific Affliction”. The horrible accident that took her mother’s life and the horrific affliction that she cannot remember nor speak of if she did.
This story is horrifically tragic and horribly sad, with supernatural elements and useless characters thrown in the mix. I enjoyed the natural imagery that the author was able to beautifully betray through the retelling of Stella’s story but the flip flopping time lines were confusing and mismatched at times.
With the introduction of too many unnecessary characters and story lines that were not linearly, I felt like the author took away from the impression and impact this story could have and in all rights should have made on my soul.
Be warned, this book can get graphic at times in its details about abuse, and bodily injury.
Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Complex characters and topics abound in this book which is quite graphic in its details . The author describes eloquently the beauty of rural Nova Scotia and the majestic Bay of Fundy. This book shows the resiliency of women even at a young age. Stella and Cynthia in their preteen years were subjected to so much trauma that their lives were completely altered. It is hard breaking to read about these girls. This book discusses mental illnesses, child abuse, suicide, loss of a parent, rape, pedophiles, and secrets. In the midst of all these dark topics there exist some kind and caring characters and descriptions of the beauty of the province of Nova Scotia. The last section of this book is quite intense . Events happen rather quickly after a much slower and detailed read of what happened before.

Christy Ann Conlin has a voice and style all her own. Overall, this book was beautifully written. The story spooled out slowly, weaving back and forth between the past and the present, revealing dark family secrets, and the power of mercy.