BookBar BookClub: The Mercy Step with Marcia Hutchinson
Sign up, receive your book in advance of the book club with plenty of time to read it, send in the questions and discussion points you'd like us to talk about, and join a virtual interview with the author, in which we'll discuss the book.
May's BookClub pick is The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson and our conversation will go live on 25th May 2026.
A sharply-witted and tender portrait of a young girl's quiet rebellion and her refusal to be brokenSet in 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows Mercy, a precocious young child facing a world far too big for her small body. She lives with her Windrush-generation parents in a crowded household where her mother's attention is stretched between church and family, and her father's temper is something to be endured or avoided. Feeling like an outsider within her own home, Mercy retreats into books and the companionship of her beloved doll, Dolly, while learning early how to navigate the flaws and failings of the adults around her.
Yet Mercy is nothing if not resilient. Armed with humour, style and fierce imagination, she quietly begins to plot her escape from a traumatic childhood. A raw and deeply affecting novel of childhood, family and survival in 1960s Britain.
Read a paperback copy of The Mercy Step, listen to a virtual author talk, and meet with other BookClub members to discuss the book.
Your ticket price includes a paperback copy of the book, as well as access to the virtual event. Buy a ticket to a single event for £18 or subscribe to the book club for £15 a month. Sign up for our discussion group for an additional £5 (including a drink).
If you are a member of the BookBar BookClub you'll be able to sign up to join us for an in-person discussion group at our bookshop and social space. Members will be sent a link to sign up to the limited spaces. The dates for May's discussion groups will follow.
Your ticket price includes a paperback copy of the book, as well as attendance at the virtual event. Buy a ticket to a single event for £18 or subscribe to the book club for £15 a month.
Please note: We send out copies of the book at the same time each month, so our usual delivery time frame does not apply to the BookClub. You will receive an email when your copy has been dispatched or is ready for collection. Please visit our BookClub FAQs page for more details.
