The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is my perfect book, mixing fantasy, romance, mythology, grief and humor to create a story that’s impossible to put down. I tried to stretch my reading out to a few days but eventually gave in to flying through the pages. I’m always surprised when I discover another book that captures my imagination so completely. The world is so interesting, filled with all manner of societal customs, not-so-hidden realms, and, of all things, zombies (of a sort). It would be enough to travel through such a world on the back of any story, but coupling it with a perfectly timed and executed romance made it all the more enjoyable. I came into this book knowing nothing about it and now I’ll be telling anyone who will listen to run to the bookstore and devour every page.

The Best Bits

A Few of My Favorite Things

Death (And Everything That Comes With It)

The title led me to believe death would be an obvious part of the plot, but I was surprised to find how deeply the book dove into it. While it started as a story about an undertaker and a Warden, it dove deeper into the meaning of life and death and the struggle we have as mortals to accept when things end. There are zombies, again of a sort, but they’re not animated by a virus or something malicious. Instead, they’re inhabited by terrified souls who are lost from the realm of death, trying desperately to latch back onto the life they believe they’re still meant to live. It’s tragic to imagine these remnants of the living who would rather live for a few minutes in a rotting corpse than go through Death’s door. I was further fascinated by all of the beliefs and rituals that went with preparing bodies and sending them into the afterlife – a mix of salt, sailcloth and incantations along with wooden boats and journeys facilitated by the undertakers. Death is a key part of the society, leaving me surprised at how shocked people are when they do die. It’s a brilliant examination of the one fact we all know, and the one we all avoid. 

Enemies to Lovers Done Perfectly

I love an enemies to lovers romance, especially when it involves a grumpy, brooding guy who has no idea what he wants from life. It’s a deeply traveled genre, and Bannen stands in the upper echelon of entries. Their hate has stewed over years and, when they finally find themselves falling for each other, they’re equally surprised at these feelings rushing into them. It was masterful to start their story as an epistolary back and forth, adding an element of yearning that I didn’t expect. It was clear this would be the big second act conflict, and it was done tragically for both parties involved. Seeing Mercy find love was heartwarming, but it was Hart’s part in the relationship that really got to me. He had spent his whole life believing himself unloveable and his embrace of all things Mercy was as heartwarming as it gets. 

Effortless Dialogue

This is where Bannen’s skill really shines. The dialogue and relationships between characters felt so effortless, imbuing a sense of familiarity that reeled me into the narrative. I wanted to see every character advance and cared deeply about each and every one of them. Mercy’s family is the kind everyone wishes they had, and watching them exist was a true joy. 

And a major spoiler, but I have to talk about it…

The Tragic (And Eventually Happy) Ending

I was deep into flying through the book when the ending hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew, deep down, that there was no way he had actually died, but it plays out so tragically and perfectly that I felt every paragraph of it. It’s rare that we see a main character engage so deeply with the permanent loss of her lover, and the book doesn’t shy away from it. We see her clean him up, remembering every moment with him, trying to hold it together as she acknowledges that he’s dead, and it’s just shattering. And the moment when his final letter comes into play – I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect reveal. It’s a slow building of tension that I admire as a writing-obsessed reader.