The Mercy Step

First published 2026 · debut

Cover of The Mercy Step

Reception

  1. 2026
    The Guardian

    Reviewed by Fiona Sturges, 1 October

  2. 2026 Shortlist

About the book

Read the full description

Taking us back in time to 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows the precocious Mercy, a young child facing a world that is far too big for her small body. Mercy lives with her Windrush generation parents; she craves her mother’s attention, which she must share with the Church and her many siblings, while trying to avoid the fists and temper of her father. Mercy struggles to find her place in the world, surrounded by flawed adults and a family she feels like an outsider in, her only joys her loyal doll Dolly and the escapism she finds in books. But Mercy is nothing if not resilient, and she takes up the fight to escape her traumatic upbringing, all while maintaining her humour, style and verve. A raw and tender story of family, isolation and growth.

Description from Hardcover

About the author

Marcia Hutchinson, born 1962, United Kingdom.

Catalogue record

Unknown, 2026 · 314 pages

Publisher
Unknown, 2026
Pages
314
ISBN
978-1-918228-03-8
Full recordClose
Publisher
Unknown, 2026
Pages
314
ISBN
  • 978-1-918228-03-8
Author
Hutchinson, Marcia, 1962–
Statement
The Mercy Step / Marcia Hutchinson.
Records
Open Library

Subjects

  • United Kingdom
  • 2020s

Catalogue data checked 3 October 2026