A Matter of Mercy 10th Anniversary Edition with a new Afterword
The original edition won the 2015 Independent Publishers Silver Medal
for Best North-East Fiction
Award-winning novelist Lynne Hugo returns readers to the beloved shores and shallows of outer Cape Cod Bay in a riveting drama teeming with life and human truth.
Caroline Marcum thought she'd put the great mistake of her life behind her when she left Wellfleet, but is forced to face it when she returns to her childhood home on the bay to care for her dying mother. Ridley Neal thought he'd put his past--and his prison term--behind him when he returned home to take over his father's oyster and clam farm in the harbor. Casual acquaintances long ago, they connect again during a fierce nor'easter.
But their suspicions are soon raised when a lawsuit threatens Rid's livelihood, and a chance encounter with the woman Caroline most wronged results in threats and vandalism. Each burdened with separate guilts and struggling with mistrust of the other, can Caroline and Rid set aside their fears and take a chance on the possibility of forgiveness and love?
Inspired by a 1996 lawsuit, this 10th anniversary edition includes an Afterword with an update on the 2024 status of that lawsuit. A Matter Of Mercy takes readers deep into a life struggle for survival for oyster and clam farmers on the seashell-strewn shallows shallows of Cape Cod bay as Caroline and Rid battle over whether we ever find our real homes in the places and with the people we meant to leave behind.
Praise for A Matter of Mercy
"With dazzling prose, a merciless eye for truth, and a gotta-know story, A Matter of Mercy stapled me to the couch. Between the remarkable story of class war and aquaculture in Wellfleet, grief etched in acid on glass, and the miracle of love in the most unlikely of connections, author Hugo offers pure gold." Randy Susan Meyers, international bestselling author, Waisted
"There are two love stories in Lynne Hugo’s masterful A Matter of Mercy: the burgeoning relationship of two people struggling to forgive themselves for past mistakes and Hugo’s ode to the wild beauty and traditional way of life of outer Cape Cod. At the heart of this compelling novel is a 1996 lawsuit in which a new resident challenged the rights of Wellfleet oyster farmers to harvest shellfish on the flats in front of his vacation home. Seamlessly blending fascinating historical detail with a legal drama and a contemporary romance, Hugo exquisitely captures not only the wind-swept landscape of the outer Cape, but also the complicated landscape of the heart." Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party
“… full of intrigue and heart, as gritty as the inside of a clamshell and tender as a beach sunset. You won’t soon forget this story of two Cape Cod residents struggling against the tides for mercy and reaching out for each other despite the dark currents of their own pasts.” Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers and “The Lucky One” in Grand Central.
“A richly detailed, intimate look at the struggles of love and hard work and hard choices. With wisdom and compassion, Lynne Hugo explores how we sometimes find our homes in the places and people we’ve left behind. This book draws you in and won’t let you go. A Matter of Mercy is the kind of novel one longs to read – beautifully written, full of crooked fates, terrible loss and hard-won second chances.” Laura Harrington, author of Alice Bliss and winner of the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction
“I absolutely loved A Matter of Mercy. The characters were entirely human and real, and very sympathetically drawn. writing, and a wonderful sense of place. I highly recommend A Matter of Mercy, especially for readers who enjoy the books of Nancy Thayer and Jodi Picoult.” Bibliophilic
“Hugo manages to beautifully blend a love story with a mystery, with a story about forgiveness, all set in a fascinating place that becomes an important character in the book.” Bookchick
“Lynne Hugo has rendered a universe so precise it sings of truth and so human it plucks at all the right strings…a symphony for both the heart and the ear.” Kim Triedman, author of The Other Room
"A Matter of Mercy is a compelling tale of the “little man” taking on money, wealth, and power, desperately trying to retain their generational livelihood. Author Lynne Hugo perfectly captures the timeless beauty of this area and the unrelenting struggle of generations of Cape Cod aqua farmers to wrench a living from the tidal flats ... Love and the overwhelming need to seek forgiveness are the cornerstones of this novel but it also offers a unique insight into a lifestyle few of us have encountered before." Grant Leishman Readers' Favorite
"Hugo uses well-developed characters and multiple side plots to explore recurrent themes of loss, grief, redemption, and mercy. She skillfully portrays the intensity of her characters’ emotions, enabling readers to share their pain, anxiety, and frustration." The US Review of Books