65 pages • 2 hours read
Jodi PicoultMercy
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1996A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary
Content Warning: This section contains mentions and descriptions of euthanasia.
An unnamed woman (who the novel will later reveal to be Allie MacDonald) packs up and sells everything that belongs to her husband. The only thing she keeps is a gift from him, a panel of stained-glass daffodils over a blue background. She remembers how, when he gave it to her, he warned her to be careful with the fragile object and wonders why she didn’t read the warning. By the time her husband returns from work, all of his things are gone. She waits for him to discover this and then walks into the center of town.
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary
Maggie MacDonald makes her husband, James “Jamie” MacDonald, promise that he will kill her, no matter what. He tells her he loves her and then suffocates her with a pillow, keeping his promise despite her struggle in the end.
Thirty-five-year-old Cameron “Cam” Macdonald is the chief of police in Wheelock, Massachusetts. The town is where the descendants of the MacDonald clan from Carrymuir, Scotland, migrated to in the 1700s. Cam is named for the ancestor who was the clan chief or “laird,” who arranged the safe passage of his people to America in exchange for fighting beside Highlanders against the English in the Battle of Culloden. He eventually arrived in Wheelock, and all the MacDonalds settled in and adapted to American life, with one relative left behind in Carrymuir to watch over the land. Over time, the head of the clan took on the role of police chief and passed it down through generations. In 1995, Cam returned to Wheelock to take over the role after his father’s death. In his office, he dreams of the Bay of Biscay, struck with a long-standing wanderlust.
Allie MacDonald, Cam’s wife, is working at Gordon’s flower shop, located next to the station, when Verona MacBean, an ex-schoolmate who was extremely popular and once dated Cam, visits and orders flowers for an author luncheon where she will be speaking. After she leaves, Allie reminisces about high school and her relationship with Cam. He barely knew she existed then, and they only got together after they both returned to Wheelock as adults.
Allie takes Cam a bouquet of flowers composed of tulips, which symbolize a fiery love, sprinkled generously with clover, which represents thinking of a person. She wakes Cam from his slumber in his office, and Cam is embarrassed when Allie finds the travel magazines he was looking through. He doesn’t think his wife will understand his desire to travel. When Allie returns to her shop, she finds a strange woman crafting an arrangement. She introduces herself as Mia Townsend and asks Allie for an assistant’s job. When Allie sees the bonsai Mia created, she promises to work something out.
Cam steps out to take Allie for lunch and comes face-to-face with Mia, whom Allie brings over to introduce. Mia’s blue-violet eyes take his breath away. At the same time, Zandy Monroe, the police sergeant, calls urgently for Cam; he rushes out to find a man who introduces himself as James “Jamie” MacDonald, Cam’s cousin. Jamie gestures to his car: A woman is slumped over, and he confesses to having killed his wife, Maggie.
Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary
Chaos breaks out after Jamie’s confession. Jamie remains calm throughout, but when Zandy tries to open the car door and get a pulse on Maggie, he screams at Zandy not to touch her. Allie promises Jamie, who is cradling Maggie’s corpse, that she will stay with Maggie’s body, and Cam leads Jamie away in handcuffs.
As Jamie is led away, he remembers his disastrous wedding day, where everything went wrong—it was raining, their original justice of the peace had fallen ill, and the replacement conducted the wedding in his backyard, with a drunk guest serving as a witness. Maggie laughed through it all, and Jamie was seized with a feeling that everything felt so right in the end, so things could only go downhill from there.
Allie sends Mia back to the shop to make funeral arrangements and accompanies Zandy to the mortician with Maggie’s body. Hugo Huntley’s examination reveals no injuries; Maggie died of asphyxiation. As Allie wonders why Jamie killed her, Hugo points out markings around Maggie’s eye that suggest cancer radiation therapy, as well as Maggie’s missing breast.
Allie returns to the shop to find that Mia has completed the arrangements beautifully. Mia wonders if Jamie will get a chance to see them, but Allie is confident that Cam won’t arrest his cousin. Mia remembers how her own parents had always been so wrapped up in each other that they often forgot her existence.
As Cam takes Jamie’s statement, Jamie tells Cameron about how they discovered Maggie’s cancer because of lesions on an X-ray. The original tumor was in her breast, but it resurfaced in her brain after the breast was surgically removed, making her death imminent. Maggie asked Jamie to kill her; however, there is no record of any kind to prove this.
Jamie also reveals that he came to Wheelock to kill Maggie so he could confess specifically to Cam. Their shared great-uncle, Angus, will remember the connection between Cam and Jamie. Angus was the last keeper of Carrymuir before Cam’s father, Ian, died, and Cam brought Angus to Wheelock with him. Cam reflects on his duty as clan chief; he cannot let Jamie go just because he is his cousin.
Cam comes home to find Mia, who Allie has invited to stay, on the couch. He is startled and unsettled by Mia’s presence and rushes up to his room, where he makes love to Allie, trying to push thoughts of both Jamie and Mia out of his mind.
In a flashback, Jamie is revealed to be the president and founder of Techcelence, a conceptual design company specializing in virtual reality. He often takes Maggie with him to his lab. On one occasion, he is stumped by the problem of creating an experience for an ex-tennis player who has become quadriplegic and wants to virtually play tennis again. Maggie asserts that she can’t imagine ever living that way and asks Jamie to kill her if that ever happens.
Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary
Angus wakes up from a dream in which he was inhabiting the original Cameron MacDonald’s mind as he was fighting on a battlefield. Angus senses that their ancestor is not happy with his namesake; he knows he must talk to Cam. He is the one who convinced Cam to return to Wheelock after Ian’s death, as Cam originally wanted to stay on in Carrymuir while Angus returned. Angus reminded him that duty and blood are paramount and returned home with Cam; Carrymuir passed on to the Scottish National Trust.
Angus heads down to the station at 3:00 am to talk to Cam. As Allie makes tea, she reflects on how she does a number of things every day for Cam’s benefit, hoping he will one day notice and appreciate them. When Cam returns from the station, she has his breakfast ready. Cam asks her if she thinks Jamie did the right thing; Allie says she would do the same if she were in his shoes but would also kill herself, as Cam would be dead. Cam notes that even if Allie murdered someone, he would have to turn her in, as he is the chief. He is angered when Allie says that he is also her husband. Allie rushes to pacify him.
Mia walks in, and Allie introduces her to Cam, who is struck by a sense that they have met before. Allie leaves to check on Mia’s cat, and Cam learns that Mia has traveled and lived in many other places before. He asks her if they know each other from somewhere, and Mia thinks that maybe they do.
Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary
Cam returns to the station to find Angus playing chess with Jamie in the lock up. He lets Angus out, telling them both that they are headed to court in an hour. Angus tells Cam about the dream; Cameron MacDonald I is haunting him, as he is unhappy about Cam’s actions. Before Angus leaves, he reminds Cam that Cameron MacDonald went to battle to save his kin because he didn’t want to see people he loved in pain.
Mia teaches Allie the art of bonsai. As they work, they talk about how Mia has traveled all over, even as her parents still live in the same house she grew up in. Allie tells Mia about Cam’s family history and how he went to college in Scotland and traveled before returning to Wheelock because of his family traditions. As Allie talks about Cam, Mia notes that it reminds her of how her own mother talked about her father; however, Cam doesn’t remind her of her father.
Cam visits Graham McPhee, the now-practicing son of Wheelock’s attorney. He hires Graham as a defense lawyer on Jamie’s behalf, promising to foot the bill anonymously. Graham is to do everything he can to get Jamie off the hook, even as Cam plans on continuing with the arrest and prosecution.
Cam comes home to find Mia in his bedroom; he pulls his gun on her, thinking her an intruder at first, and then takes a startled Mia into his arms to console her. He discovers that Mia has been looking through his and Allie’s things, and Mia is embarrassed by her interest in the MacDonalds, particularly Cam. However, Cam is amused, and they look through photographs together. He is stunned when Mia points to a photo of Scotland, claiming she has been there. Suddenly aware of the possibility that he may have seen Mia in Scotland before, he kisses her. Mia breaks away. It is understood that they will not tell Allie anything.
While Cam is away, Allie visits Jamie in the station, taking him flowers. She insists that this is not a “mercy visit,” and Jamie wonders what Cam will think of it. Allie doesn’t want Cam to know, as she thinks it will hurt him, and Jamie asserts that, like himself, Allie is the one who loves more in the marriage. He describes meeting Maggie for the first time and how he loved her first; he loved her so much that he was willing to let her go. Before Allie leaves, Jamie asks her if she thinks he is guilty, and she responds, “That depends […] on what you think you’re guilty of” (69).
Graham arrives to meet with Jamie but refuses to disclose who hired him. After listening to Jamie and seeing how distraught he is over Maggie’s death, Graham is convinced that they will win the case. In court, Cam tells the magistrate that Jamie has been booked for Murder One and requests bail to be set at $50,000. Graham counters that Jamie has always been an upstanding citizen, and his bail is set at $5 under the condition that he remains in Wheelock until trial and has to check in with Cam before noon every day. As Cam exits, he spots Allie with Jamie, realizing she paid his bail. She informs Cam that Jamie will be staying with Angus. She claims that she only came to court for Cam’s sake.
An unnamed person writes to an unnamed addressee, reflecting on the questions they never got to ask. The writer wonders if the addressee ever thinks of them and if the addressee would have similarly written to them if they had been the one to leave.
Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 4 Analysis
The book opens with a Prologue, in which an unnamed woman is selling her husband’s things in a garage sale; he arrives just as the last few things are sold, and the woman walks off with the cash. This alerts the reader to how love and relationships take center stage in Mercy, highlighting the theme of The Dynamics of Power in Romantic Relationships. Indeed, the first chapters introduce Cameron “Cam” MacDonald and his wife, Allie; James “Jamie” MacDonald and his wife, Maggie; and Mia Townsend, with whom Cam shares an immediate attraction.
Significantly, Mia and Jamie arrive in town on the very same day. Cam has opposite reactions to them: He is inexplicably attracted to Mia and determined to ignore any connection he shares with Jamie. This is enhanced by Cam’s position in Wheelock as head of police and his role as head of the family clan, highlighting the theme of The Weight of Familial Duty. The first chapter details how and why Cam came to be Wheelock’s police chief: The little Massachusetts town is populated by descendants of the MacDonald clan from Carrymuir, Scotland, relocated to America courtesy of Cam’s namesake ancestor and clan chief. It is clear that, while Cam returned owing to family duty, his heart was not set on coming back to Wheelock. Cam hides travel magazines in his office, embarrassed to even talk to his wife about them, and daydreams about being elsewhere. His reaction to Mia, a traveler who suddenly appears in town, represents a desire for more than a life dictated by family duty, and his repudiation of Jamie is a projection of the frustration he feels because of familial ties and obligations. Indeed, Cam’s attraction to Mia seizes him when he realizes that she has traveled to Scotland, demonstrating his desire to connect to someone who represents both travel and the home he has left behind. Meanwhile, Jamie is a reminder of family expectations, particularly as clan leader, a role that Cam would gladly relinquish.
Jamie arrives in Wheelock for the express purpose of committing a crime and confessing to Cam, believing that his clan chief will take care of him out of this very familial duty. Allie shares this same conviction, confidently telling Mia that Cam won’t arrest his cousin. Even Angus, the family elder, counsels Cam to do right by his family, and this is what leads Cam to secretly employ Graham MacPhee’s services. However, Cam is clear that Jamie’s crime is one he could never imagine committing himself. This response, and the context surrounding the crime, underlines both The Dynamics of Power in Romantic Relationships and Mercy and the Law. Indeed, it is clear that the central crime was born of love rather than hatred or a desire for revenge. The act itself demonstrates a love that is rooted in keeping promises, even when those promises mean painful separation: Jamie describes loving Maggie first and powerfully, and his killing of her is entirely the result of her own wishes. Given Jamie’s feelings for Maggie, it is clear that he would have taken care of her until her death, but Maggie did not want to suffer. As such, the dynamic of power within this relationship leans toward Maggie, as Jamie dutifully carries out her wishes. Contrastingly, Allie and Cam knew each other in high school but only became romantic when Cam begrudgingly moved back to Wheelock. Allie acknowledges to herself that she does much for Cam that goes unnoticed and she is unappreciated. At this point in the novel, Allie represents compromise to Cam: He returned to Wheelock out of duty, and his love for Allie is muted and without passion, thus setting the stage for an indiscretion with the exciting, mysterious Mia.
Jamie and Maggie’s relationship draws Allie in, and she visits Jamie at the station without Cam’s knowledge. When Jamie realizes this, he speculates that Allie is the one who loved more, just like Jamie himself loved Maggie more. Allie’s love for Cam is far deeper and more consuming. Allie even asserts to Cam that if she were in Jamie’s position, she would have done the same while also ending her own life. Cam, on the other hand, cannot imagine doing this, and his inability to relate to Jamie in any way, and thus his failure to humanize him, demonstrates Cam’s own complex relationship with the concept of love. This is then complicated further by his fascination with Mia, who also senses Cam’s lack of equal interest in his wife. When Cam kisses Mia, it is clear that he romanticizes her as a representation of an unlived life of travel and freedom. She is, in this regard, his fantasy and his escape.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that what unsettles people about the crime is Jamie’s ability to follow through with Maggie’s wishes. However, some characters are able to sympathize with him because of his crime, highlighting the theme of Mercy and the Law, as some see this as the ultimate act of mercy. Indeed, Maggie’s post-mortem examination reveals that she was murdered as gently as possible, suffocated with a pillow. The discovery of her mastectomy scar lines up with Jamie’s revelation about her cancer experience as well. Based on Jamie’s demeanor, his lawyer, too, is convinced that Jamie will walk free. Additionally, the relatively laidback approach to Jamie’s bail and trial indicates that the context surrounding Maggie’s death is impossible to ignore: Murder is a crime, but the ethics change when the deceased was already dying and wished to escape a slow, painful passing. As such, the central conflict within the novel boils down to each character’s position on mercy killings, as there is no disagreement that this was Jamie’s crime.
In addition to Mercy’s three central themes, the idea of a disconnect from the “real” world reoccurs in this section. Jamie works in the field of virtual reality, where his job is to create entire worlds in which people can have experiences that they can’t have in the “real” world. Similarly, Angus’s dream is an entry to a dream world that is also a sign from his ancestor. Relatedly, an important motif in the book is the MacDonald family and Wheelock’s ties to Carrymuir, and they intersect with the theme of The Weight of Familial Duty and Mercy and the Law. Flowers and the different messages they carry are also significant, as Allie uses them to express emotion, and Mia uses bonsai in a similar way. In this regard, Allie and Mia represent two opposite sides of Cam’s desire, as Allie is more traditional, while Mia represents nonconvention, wildness, and freedom.
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