THE SHAPE OF MERCY

Narrator Tavia Gilbert's clear, youthful diction adds appeal to her portrayal of college student Lauren Durough. She captures Lauren's determination to be independent, even though she relies on her parents for her college tuition. With empathy Gilbert portrays Lauren’s job interview with octogenarian Abigail Boyle. Abigail agrees to hire Lauren to transcribe the journal of one of her ancestors, Mercy Hayworth. Mercy was tried and convicted of witchcraft in the seventeenth-century Salem witch trials—her journal is a firsthand account of the event. Gilbert maintains a high emotional pitch as listeners learn how Mercy reaches from the past to the present to transform this contemporary young woman. G.D.W. 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2009]