Easter offers chance at redemption; but no spark

Set around the 1998 HR record chase by Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (now stained by steroids) and traveling from the foothills of NC to St. Louis, this short novel is enjoyable but not nearly as deep a character study, with as complex a texture or as dark as what I consider the best novel to come out of the South in 20 years, "A Land More Kind Than Home," by the author, Wiley Cash.

The story keeps you interested, though it lags toward the end. The protagonist, Easter, is well-developed and realistic as a 12-year-old whose mom died of a drug overdose and whose father "Wade" is a ne'er-do-well former baseball minor leaguer. Repairing his relationship with Easter offers Wade a chance at redemption. One thing that was not explained enough was the antagonistic relationship between Wade and his pursuer Pruitt and the relationship between the other character Brady (the 2 girls' guardian ad litem) and his daughter could have been more developed and tied into the story.

The novel is worthy of a read/listen, particularly if you enjoyed "More Kind than Home," but I can't highly recommend it.

I must say though that it may be worth the purchase if for nothing more than to hear Jenna Lamia's spectacular rendition of the 12-year-old Easter, the novel's protagonist. Ms. Lamia brings Easter to life as a teenybopper, highly nuanced in tone, accent and spunk.

9 people found this helpful

A very fine book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes: Gripping story, with complex, imperfect characters.

What other book might you compare This Dark Road to Mercy to and why?

A land more kind than home, Mr. Cash's first book: A book about failed fatherhood told from multiple first person narrators.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The female reader for the female protagonist lends nice tone and subtlety.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

Nice work again from Mr. Cash. A very fine book.

2 people found this helpful

Another GREAT from Wiley Cash!

What made the experience of listening to This Dark Road to Mercy the most enjoyable?

The narators did a good job, especially on the accents. I'm from NC and nothing upsets me more than fake accents.

What did you like best about this story?

I never got bored. Mr Cash does a great job of keeping your interest.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Easter

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Can't decide between the shock of Wiley's mother's death or the scene at the park.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Cash has certainly outdone himself! He is extremely good at conveying to the reader what its like to be in the character's place.

The first book he wrote was good but predictable. I was so glad to see he has gotten past that stumbling point with this book. It was full of twists and turns.

I really loved the ending!

I read this book in 2 days!

2 people found this helpful

Well told but lacks punch

Wiley Cash set the bar very high with his debut “A Land More Kind than Home”, and as often happens, the highly anticipated follow-up fell just a little short.

Once again Cash uses the 3-voice format, and two of the three work. Easter Quillby sets the tone and tells the largest portion of the story, effectively communicating the very complex emotions that accompany abandonment and the need to grow up way too early. Brady – the court appointed guardian to Easter and her sister, is well written and believable but is essentially utilitarian to the arc of the story. But Pruett, the bad guy pursuing the girls and their father, is a cardboard villain with no more depth or motivation than The Terminator. Because the characters in each storyline don’t actually cross paths with each other in the chase, there is no exploration of their relationships beyond the one dimensional POV of each narrator. I think that was the reason this story lacked the punch in the gut delivered by “A Land More Kind”. That said, I do like the very end of the story – two small surprises that suggest how the story will move forward.

Which takes me to the narration. Again, 2 out of 3 narrators do their job well. Jenna Lamia shows why she is the go-to voice for young southern girls. Eric Bergmann lends Brady the seriousness of a man trying to do right to make up for a past mistake. But Scott Sowers takes an already stereotyped bad guy and caricatures him into a hillbilly Snidely Whiplash. I actually stopped listening to his chapters and ordered the Kindle version to get past his awful narration. (This makes the second time I have abandoned an Audible of his narration in favor of the print version). For overall narration, I can only give 3 stars because of Sowers.

4 people found this helpful

Great Story, But Left Me Hanging

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The story was good. Being a North Carolinian, I love reading books based in North Carolina. The narration was excellent. It kept me interested right to the end, but then left me waiting for more. The ending was a bit unfinished in my opinion. I felt there should have been a little bit more to wrap it up. Overall a great book and I did enjoy it.

Great listening

Intriguing and loved the voices! The writer really did agreat job in making you fall for a character!

A masterpiece!

Hands down the best book I have listened to since I became an Audible member. Everything about this story is perfect. I was a bit upset at the end but then I realized no matter what happened I did not want this book to end and that was what the problem was. Do you yourself a big favor and spend a credit on this wonderful piece of writing. It deserves every award and then some.

quick read

this is a well-written story, with well-developed characters. It was easy and enjoyable to read. I look forward to reading his other works.

Great story

This is the second book by Whitley Cash I’ve read and I love his writing. I’m on my way to Audible to purchase another. Keep them coming please.

Baseball meets Suspense

I really enjoyed this book. I followed the baseball story interweaved in this book and made a great addition. Great story line. Worth a quick read.