The Mercy Seat

A masterful, searing story of injustice, love and prejudice set in a small Louisiana town in 1943, by 'one of the finest writers of her generation' - Brad Watson.

On the eve of his execution for allegedly raping a white girl, eighteen-year-old Willie Jones sits in a jail cell awaiting his end.

Across the state, a truck driven by a convict carries the executioner's electric chair closer. On a nearby highway, Willie's father struggles to reach town in time with a gravestone for his son. In his office the prosecuting attorney examines his conscience, while at home his wife protests Willie's innocence.

As the minutes tick by, an intricately layered portrait of a community riven by racism and violent hatred emerges, yet one that harbours decency and compassion too. Moving from voice to voice, Elizabeth Winthrop elegantly brings to stark light the story of a town, its people and its abuses in this brutally incisive, tender - and timely - novel.

'Winthrop's engrossing story unfolds through strong memorable characters. A remarkable work with a stunning unexpected conclusion, not to be missed.'

Library Journal

[Elizabeth H. Winthrop is the author of Fireworks, December and The Why of Things. Born in New York City, she spent ten years in Savannah, Georgia before moving to Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and daughter.] this copy to go alongside author photo and barcode.

Elizabeth H. Winthrop was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Harvard University in 2001 with a BA in English and American Literature and Language, and in 2004 she received her Master of Fine Arts in fiction from the University of California at Irvine. Her stories have appeared in a variety of publications including the Missouri Review and the Indiana Review. Fireworks, her first novel, was published by Sceptre in 2006, her second, December, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for 2009, she pulished her third novel, The Why of Things, in 2013. The Mercy Seat is her most recent work, published by Sceptre. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter and St. Bernard, and is Assistant Professor of English/Creative Writing at Endicott College.

About Elizabeth H. Winthrop