The Mercy Step

Named one of the best New Novelists for 2025 by The Observer.

Taking us back in time to 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows the precocious Mercy, a young child facing a world that is far too big for her small body. Mercy lives with her Windrush generation parents; she craves her mother’s attention, which she must share with the Church and her many siblings, while trying to avoid the fists and temper of her father. Mercy struggles to find her place in the world, surrounded by flawed adults and a family she feels like an outsider in, her only joys her loyal doll Dolly and the escapism she finds in books. But Mercy is nothing if not resilient, and she takes up the fight to escape her traumatic upbringing, all while maintaining her humour, style and verve. A raw and tender story of family, isolation and growth.