The novel focuses on Sister Evelyn, an elderly woman who has been a nun
for 50 years. She is kind and compassionate
and utterly courageous in defending those in her care. One of the residents of Mercy House tells
her, “’Sister, you’re one badass bitch.’”
This feisty woman is, however, not perfect. She has her flaws. In encounters with the bishop, for example, she
becomes meek and mild. As she admits,
she is guilty of the sin of pride, and her bitterness has tainted her
relationships with her siblings.
Sister Evelyn is a dynamic character who learns about herself. She is older but proves to be capable of
changing. For instance, she realizes
that she has held on to grudges for so long that they’ve turned into
resentment: “She’d opened Mercy House
twenty-five years earlier, but was only just beginning to truly understand
mercy and its value to the person who bestows it.”
I appreciate the non-stereotypical portrayal of nuns. They are shown to be real people. One of the sisters practices Reiki. They all have their indulgences. They even use profane language occasionally. One of them dares say, “’from my experience,
the whole virginity thing is overstated.’”
Besides learning about the nuns, the reader learns about the women who
have taken shelter at Mercy House. Each
of the current residents is given a chapter in which flashbacks reveal their
backstories. The situations of these
women illustrate why Mercy House is needed and why a singular focus on religious
conversion, which the church wants, may not be sufficient.
The portrayal of Bishop Hawkins is problematic. He is beyond despicable. The nuns call him the Hawk, and Sister Evelyn
describes him as “’a weasel, a mole man, a snake.’” One of the residents tells him, “’You may
have more degrees than a thermometer, but you’re ugly as hell . . . you
arrogant mother-fucker.’” He is too evil
to be believable. He has not one
redeeming quality.
Bishop Hawkins is used to criticize not Catholicism but the church. The book discusses how the church squanders
funds. For instance, there is little
respect for the lavish lifestyle of Pope Benedict: “Pope Benedict XVI wore red velvet capes with
ermine fur trim. He commissioned his own
cologne, which Evelyn called Pope-pourri.
He was chauffeured around in a Mercedes.
He had a personal library of more than twenty thousand books. It took two hundred architects and engineers
to restore his Rome palace, and he resided in his other palace while the
construction was underway.”
The book also focuses on abuse and the imbalance and misuse of power in
the church: “The Vatican had swept three
thousand cases of priest pedophilia under the rug, protecting those criminals
at the cost of their own morality and worldwide respect, but when it came to
nuns, they wanted blood.” The nuns are
under the control of hypocritical priests who accuse nuns of immoral
behaviour: “’You tempted me, damn you. .
. . These cassocks will need cleaning.
Consider it part of your penance.’”
The novel touches on very serious topics, but there are also touches of
humour. When replying to a question about
how her manner of dress bears witness to the dignity and simplicity of her
vocation, Sister Evelyn replies, “I try to keep body glitter to a minimum. But I’m only human.” At the end, before she heads off to battle an
injustice, Evelyn thinks, “Knights took their trusty steeds into battle. Evelyn would take a Honda Odyssey. But if an Odyssey was good enough for Homer,
she supposed it would be good enough for her.”
This book would make a good movie.
At different parts, it inspires tears, laughter, and out loud cheering.
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