Everyday Mercies

Carrie's dad is a dairy farmer, but she has a different idea about working the land when she returns to her south central home in Wisconsin for four days. As a young adult, she needs her parents' support to move back north from Appalachia and grow organic vegetables. Carrie finds her mom, Charlotte, consumed with plans for the traditional Thanksgiving meal with extended family, while Carrie's dad, James, struggles whenever the thought of change comes to the fore. Her brother, Chad, lives in his own high school world of basketball, girls, and excuses to get out of the house. During the holiday meal and the days that follow, Carrie's grandmother, Martha, and other family members also provide surprises that propel events forward. There's an unexpected dinner guest, an extra dessert, and an unplanned trip to the family cemetery plot. Martha often retreats to her bedroom to read her mother's diaries that reveal a life lived in a vastly different world of patriarchal privilege and pietistic language. The tensions and humor of family living spill out in the most ordinary of interactions. Whether in everyday routine or in shocking revelation, this novel gives a lively look into four generations of women coming from conservative Mennonite and Amish backgrounds. Through all the scenes and introspection, healing mercy awaits.