Published 22nd July 2025 by Cassava Republic Press.
From the cover of the book:
Bradford, December 1962.A precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb, to a chaotic household that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her, her mother’s attention is given to the Church, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper.
Left to herself, Mercy finds solace in books, her imagination, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy, Dolly. But escapism has its limits, and as the grip of family, faith and fear threatens to close in, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen, heard, and her family set free.
The Mercy Step is a sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion, and her refusal to be broken.
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Bradford, 1962. Mercy bursts forth on the world on a cold December day, swapping the peaceful warmth, and safety, of her mother's womb for the unwelcome shock of chaotic family life. Her ever-growing number of siblings seem to have nothing in common with her, her busy mother has little time for one daughter among many, and the household is dominated by the tempestuous moods of a father quick to violence.
Despite the fierce love she feels for her mother, quick witted Mercy learns she cannot rely on her for comfort. Instead she finds solace in books, daydreams, and the presence of her faithful plastic friend, Dolly, and sets herself apart by whiling away the hours in solitude on her favourite step of their damp, draughty Victorian home.
As Mercy grows, her family begins to disintegrate in a blur of abuse, dogma, and fear. If they are to have any kind of chance of real salvation, then she must be the one to 'fix-up' and take it upon herself to find a brighter future.
The Mercy Step is one of those irresistible coming of age stories that sucks you in heart and soul, which makes it very difficult to do justice to in a review. Mercy's voice rings out loud and clear, and it is the sheer strength of her mighty will that leads you through the story, from the days before her birth to the moment she realises she must be the one to dictate her own path...
Mercy is born one freezing cold winter day, to Windrush generation parents whose vision of a Britain welcoming them with open arms is very quickly dispelled in a perfect storm of shattered illusions and grinding manual labour. The harsh realities of life exacerbate the strain of a dysfunctional marriage over-shadowed by domestic violence, cultural norms, loss, and religious strife, leaving the household constantly on edge. Every heart-rending moment is laid bare through the eyes of wise-beyond-her-years Mercy, as she tries to understand a bewildering world in which the adults around her do not seem to follow the rules of right and wrong. It is a lot for a child to deal with, especially on top of the complicated feelings that come with being a middle child in a family where her mother barely has time to give her the attention she craves.
Hutchinson spares nothing in describing every hard knock Mercy experiences. I shed many tears for her through her weighty trials and tribulations, but she has soul-stirring triumphs too. Mercy's determination not to be defeated by the weight of burdens much too heavy for her small shoulders, and her humorous inner dialogue, make her a force to be reckoned with. I completely adored her.
Mercy stands front and centre of this book, with a story as compelling as any you could wish for in a literary novel. With this comes the obvious talent of a writer who knows how to craft layers of substance around the fictional tale of a small Black girl in 1960's Bradford. Hutchinson allows you to look beyond Mercy's level of understanding to consider a wealth of subject matter connected to time, place, and the issues that faced Windrush families like Mercy's - particularly when it comes to the impact of poverty, racism, and expectation. She skilfully stiches in references to popular culture, the political landscape, and social change throughout, and makes this a heart-felt love letter to libraries too.
This book is mesmerising, holding you entranced from the very first, beautifully descriptive, words to the last. Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite books of 2025.
The Mercy Step is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Cassava Republic Press for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to FMcM Asscociates for inviting me to join this blog tour.
About the author:
She was awarded an MBE in 2011 for services to Cultural Diversity. Moving to Manchester in 2012, she became a community activist and was eventually elected as a Labour Councillor in 2021. She is now a full-time writer and an active member of the Black Writers' Guild.
She is the co-author with Kate Griffin (under the pseudonym Lila Cain) of the historical fiction novel The Blackbirds of St Giles, which will be published by Simon and Schuster in 2025. The Mercy Step is her literary debut as a solo writer.
