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My wife wanted to read this one, and since my stack of things to read is growing by the day, I asked her to read and review it.

The Shape of Mercy was a very thought provoking story.  The author explored some very tough topics including how stigmas placed on people by society can affect how they are treated regardless of whether they are based on fact or fiction.  The specific stigmas studied in the book had to do with the Salem Witch trials as well as the different perceptions of rich and poor people in our modern day society.

Lauren, the main character of the book, is the daughter of a very affluent family and wanting to prove she can make it on her own.  In an effort to help support herself she takes on an odd job transcribing the diary of Mercy, accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials.  She becomes very emotionally attached to Mercy as she is writing her story, as well as the owner of the diary, Abigail.  As she transcribes this journal and is learning about how the stigma affected both the life and death of Mercy she also is learning about her own perceptions of the people surrounding her and how they affect her treatment of them.  The experience causes her to do some deep thinking making her realize that she was as guilty of placing stigmas on those around her as the  accusers of Mercy had been.

This book really make me evaluate how I treat others around me.  There are those that intimidate me because they look so put together, but on the inside may be falling apart.  If I never reach out to them because they seem to have it all, then I too am guilty of allowing stigmas to affect my treatment of others.  Sometimes I read a book and at the end am feeling the warm fuzzies and have learned nothing, but this book actually had some meat to it that made me stop and think.  That’s the best kind of book!

You can pick it up at Amazon here.