Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Book Review: The Mercy Tree by Sharlene MacLaren

 

                      The Mercy Tree: A Novel 


It’s 1955, when scandalous affairs are never talked about, divorce is rare, a wife is a “homemaker” more often than not, and every Christian home displays its family Bible front and center. Certainly, a well-respected pastor in the conservative city of Muskegon, Michigan, would never be caught in the middle of a heinous secret that could ruin his career and break up his beautiful marriage and family. Or would he?

When Henry Griffin was stationed in occupied Japan in the mid-1940s, he met Rina Hamada, a Japanese woman who fell head over heels for him. Despite having a young wife and baby daughter waiting at home in the States, Henry had too much to drink one night, and one thing led to another… He knew it was wrong. He struggled with guilt and expressed his resistance, but she professed her love and continued to pursue him.

Now, ten years later, a letter from Japan arrives and threatens to upend Henry’s world. What to do and how to tell his wife are just the beginning of his troubles. Tough questions about faith, redemption, and preserving his reputation bring us here, under the shade of 
The Mercy Tree.

My Review:

The Mercy Tree is filled with faith, family,  love, mistakes, suspense, forgiveness, and the community.  The charactors are so believeable, I'm sure you have to know some of them.  

Henry realizes that can't hide your mistakes under a bushel for too long.  Dealing with the aftermath can be very stressful.  The reactions felt so real, so raw, it was heartbreaking at times.

This book was definetly a page turner!

This book was sent to me by the publisher.  All opinions are my own. 

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1 comment:

Belinda said...

Wow, that sounds like a really good read, Vickie. I need to check that out as I love page turners.