The Mercy of Thin Air [Hardcover]

Ronlyn Domingue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor -- but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it.

From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the stories of her lost love, Andrew, and the relationship of Amy and Scott, a couple whose house she haunts almost seventy-five years later. The Mercy of Thin Air entwines these two fateful and redemptive love stories that echo across three generations. From ambitious, forward-thinking Razi, who illegally slips birth control guides into library books; to hip Web designer Amy, who begins to fall off the edge of grief; to Eugenia, caught between since the Civil War, the characters in this wondrous novel sing with life. Evoking the power of love, memory, and time, The Mercy of Thin Air culminates in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A gothically tinged historical take on The Lovely Bones, this debut novel manages to carve out some of its own territory. In late 1920s New Orleans, Raziela "Razi" Nolan carries on a passionate college love affair with Andrew O'Connell (while planning to be a gynecologist). She desires immortality ("One lifetime isn't enough to make all the trouble of which I'm capable") and gets her wish when she slips poolside, dies and finds herself in a state "between life and whatever comes next" in which she may observe the world she's left behind and even meddle mildly. As she learns the rules of "the between" Razi finds it too painful to keep track of Andrew. But 70 years after her death in 1929, she is curious to know what happened to her beloved and is drawn to a young couple, Amy Richmond and Scott Duncan. Domingue captures the equally repressive and uninhibited culture of 1920s America, creates a convincing world of "the between," and gives nice shape to the loving but troubled relationship of Amy and Scott as Razi uncovers her connection to them. The novel lacks a fully distinctive voice, but is certainly several cuts above the genre mysteries and historicals it most resembles.
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From Booklist

Echoing Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones (2002), debut novelist Domingue places her protagonist, Razi Nolan, "between," that is, in the place where souls go after death, perhaps for decades, before proceeding to whatever comes next. Razi dies in a drowning accident in July 1929, just after graduating from Tulane. Headed to medical school, she was involved with the dissemination of, at the time, illegal birth control information to unmarried women. Now, 70 years later, Razi attempts to find out what happened to Andrew, the love of her life. A parallel plot involves a young couple, Amy and Scott, who are drifting apart because Amy is unable to forget her first fiance, who died tragically 6 years earlier. In each plot, so different in time and place, Domingue takes a probing look at what produces strong and independent women, be it environment, education, or genes. Though Domingue gets a little bogged down in the intricate details of hidden family ties, the well-drawn characters of Razi and Amy ensure that this is an engaging tale. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1st edition (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743278801
• ISBN-13: 978-0743278805
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ronlyn Domingue's debut novel, The Mercy of Thin Air, received critical acclaim and was acquired in 11 other countries. Her second and third novels are forthcoming from Atria Books, scheduled for Spring 2013 and Spring 2014.

Her short stories and essays have appeared in New England Review, Clackamas Literary Review, New Delta Review, The Independent (UK), Shambhala Sun, and mindful.org. She's also a nonfiction contributor to the online magazine, The Nervous Breakdown.

Visit her at www.ronlyndomingue.com or Facebook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A catch in my throat, a slip in time and dimension.., February 10, 2006

By 

Pamela Patterson "blkwid" (Plano, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air (Hardcover)

Occasionally there is a book that I can't put down, yet don't want to end. THE MERCY OF THIN AIR was one such book. I sacrificed a night's sleep to keep turning the pages, unable to stop reading, not wanting to lose the magic of this haunting tale of love, loss, regret and release. A part of me lingered within the pages for days. An indefinable ache, a momentary welling of tears kept me hovering within the vapor of Ronlyn Domingue's moving first novel. As has been said by others, her voice is original, her images tangible, breathtaking, and the reader is left hungry for more.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovely Book, October 17, 2005

By 

Bonnie Jo Davis "Loves to read and review books!" (Southern CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air (Hardcover)

The Mercy of Thin Air is a lovely book. It is the first book I've read cover to cover in a long time. The basis of the book is a ghost story but the real story is how people come to terms with a lost love. In most cases a love story ends with some sort of resolution or understanding but when one of the parties is dead there is no resolution... only a hole in the heart that can never be filled.

A great deal of the story is set in New Orleans in the 20's and it features a gorgeous blond feminist Raziela Nolan. She dies accidentally after graduating from college and while in the throes of an unexpected love affair. Her boyfriend and her family and friends are devasted and the book talks about how the living and the dead cope with loss.

I highly recommend this novel. The story resonated with me and I could not put it down.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Wanted to Love This Book...., December 8, 2005

By 

intanswer "intanswer" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air (Hardcover)

...But I didn't. The reviews were so good, and the premise of the book was so intriguing, I couldn't wait to read it. My primary criticism of the book was that it was choppy. I love books told with multiple narrators and different points of view. But because each "chapter" was was so short (usually just a few paragraphs), by the time the reader understands who's talking and whether they are in the present or the past, it's time to move on to another character.

There were many enjoyable aspects though. The setting--New Orleans in the 20's, some memorable characaters--Razi and Etoile in particular. The writing was, at times, delicious, and the concept of being "between" was really thought provoking. There is a particularly memorable scene where Razi comes across a little girl who is "between" and helps guide her to a more legitimate death. Wow, what a scene.

I wanted to love this book the way I loved the Time Traveller's Wife, but I didn't.