I had high expectations reading this, I thought it was going to be far better. Although I learning about the people that Leo left behind, the ending was a huge let down. The characters were fairly developed, I like their contribution to the story. For instance, Martin was a likeable character that was easily misunderstood by his other family members. I felt that they discriminated against him due to his sexual preference, it made them seem shallow. Martin obviously did not want to return home but he wanted to search for his missing brother. His siblings are a reflection of Leo, they each shared past experiences about the last moments with him. On the other half, this story was more about their perspectives and knew very little about what led to Leo disappearance.In addition, I thought the ending was very weak It had too many unanswered questions. There were more loopholes then there were conclusions,hence the average rating. Despite that, I do plan to read more novels by Newton, her writing style is unique. It really is a slow read. But when I finished it, I was glad I did because all of these characters pull at you. Not just Martin and Liza (the girl who loved him), but all of the Owenby family. They are all screwed up in their own right but each one has a story. This is one of the rare books that completes the story of all of the character. Oftentimes when you have a book that each chapter focuses on a different character's point of view, somebody's story gets lost in the shuffle and it doesn't quite finish how it should. This one pulls it off beautifully. What I loved about it is that it's really relevant to today even though the story is back a few years and it all starts in the late 50's/early 60's. Think of where our country was on topics such as adultery, homosexuality, and family duty. It's a completely different scenario today... but not really. Martin's story as a young boy discovering he isn't like other boys and although he loves Liza... it's not the same way that she loves him. She plans a future with him and he feels terrible, but he knows he would be breaking her heart no matter what. So his life goes into a tailspin. Which makes me think of all of the kids who are killing themselves by being taunted based on their sexuality, they could be Martin. Martin could be them. You root for Martin through the whole book because you know he has the potential- he just has to be shown that it's ok to be a failure in some rights. It's not the end of the world and life will move on. The story also touches on mental illness as we perceive it. One of Martin's sisters sees ghosts and she talks to them, sometimes she forgets others can hear her. Everyone of course assumes she's crazy but it's tragic. She suffers tremendous loss in her life with the loss of her children so to speak, and it makes you think of all the people we automatically label as crazy. Overall, I loved the book. I liked how it tied social issues in with real people and it was believable. I liked how the author shows you the same issues but in two different time periods and you see how time has really changed not just people but the issues themselves. You root for these characters and the ending was something that I never saw coming. Usually I can figure out the ending of the "who done it" but wow- that was not what I was expecting at all. And the ending, tragic as it is, feels like the way it should have ended. It feels like all of the characters are then able to move on past early traumas and into their futures. Which isn't giving you any information about the story really- you'll have to read it to understand it. :)
What do You think about Under The Mercy Trees (2011)?
pretty close to dumping this one more than half way through - SLOW and depressing!
—margie
Very good character development and family interactions. I really enjoyed it!
—1111111
I found the characters all very interesting.
—bayfree
