The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

Probably more of a 3.5 but I'm rounding up.

I had been seeing this book everywhere and my friend Shazzie was also reading it, but tbh I never had plans to pick it up. Then Libro.fm gave me the audiobook advance copy and as I'm always looking for something new to listen to, I thought why not give it a try. And turns out it was quite good.

I went in with no expectations, so I was immediately taken in by these two characters who are antagonistic towards each other but also have their own personal issues. I can't say I was always a fan of the banter here because it bordered on mean a few times, and I kept wondering how their dynamic will change to romantic at some point. But the author does a great job with the transition and I started enjoying the book more once their interactions became friendlier and intense. Mercy is someone who seems to have dedicated her life to her family and their business, without ever thinking about herself and while there were hiccups, I was glad to see her speak up for herself as well as realize what she wanted to change in her life. Hart on the other hand is also a workaholic but there's this deep loneliness within him that tugged at my heart and it was awesome to see his transformation when he realized he doesn't need to be so lonely.

I enjoyed the contrast between the way they communicated in letters and then in person because there is a level of understanding that develops between them in words but it's also obvious that they are mostly presenting one side of themselves in the letters. It really was an interesting parallel to our social media lives which are sometimes way different than our actual lives. I also enjoyed that they were quite considerate and thoughtful with each other once they developed a relationship.

Other than these two, their individual relationships with others were also very well written. Mercy's sisterly dynamic with Lilian was fun, her initially skeptical but quick acceptance of Zeddie's career choice was sweet and I loved how they all tried to protect their father. I didn't think Hart would warm up so quickly to his partner Pen but it was such a lovely father-son kinda dynamic and I adored their scenes together. Alma and Diane were also good friends to Hart and I liked how they called him out when he was being mopey.

The other interesting part of the book was the very intriguing world that the author created with its gods and their mythology, the death rituals, the zombie like drudges etc. It was fleshed out enough that it gave us context and rounded off our characters' personalities but the author still managed to keep the focus more on the relationships and romance, with fantasy just feeling like a necessary backdrop.

Overall, I thought this was a fun book with its serious moments and exploration of grief and loneliness and the audiobook narrated by Michael Gallagher and Rachanee Lumayno kept me hooked all the way through. Do check it out when you are in the mood for something lighthearted and not fantasy heavy.

For more of my reviews, check out my blog.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

How do I sum up what has to be one of the most unique books I've read in a long, long time? I have no idea. I know that The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is one part romance novel, one part zombie novel, one part mystery novel, and one part western novel. You mix all that up and you end up with an extremely quirky, loveable trip that's about processing grief, and letting yourself live.

Hart Ralston is one of our main characters — he's self-described as prickly, and when you first meet him, that is definitely the case. But as the novel wears on, it's increasingly clear that Hart is not prickly at all. He is ooey-gooey marshmallow on the inside, and it's adorable to see him realize it.

Mercy Birdsall is stubborn, proud, and unafraid to work hard. I loved Mercy, so, so much. She stands up for what she wants — to run the Undertaking business — and she holds her family together like glue. I wanted to shake her family for most of the book. Not one of them seemed to care what she wanted, despite saying that they knew what was best for her. Spoiler alert — they did not. But don't read this thinking they're an awful bunch. Quite the contrary.

Put these two together and it was like watching an inferno. It takes a little bit for them to get together, but once they do they are...well. I loved reading about how much they cared for one another, to put it mildly. There are at least two semi-explicit sex scenes, which fit rather perfectly within the novel.

The main plot of the book is that there are suddenly way more drudges (zombies) than there used to be, and they are venturing into populated areas and hurting people. The question is — where are they coming from, and why now? Megan Bannen does a fantastic job of weaving in the plot with the romance, and I didn't see the answer to those questions until it was literally right in front of my face. I loved it. I loved this world. I loved the characters, and the relationships between them. I would read about eighty more novels set in this world.

If you like the original Hell Boy movies, I think you'd like this book. (Humor, dark themes, violence, anthropomorphized animals, and love.) The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is frequently laugh out loud, and full of scenes that will make you go “what exactly am I reading right now?” in the best way. But despite all of that, it's rather dark, and there's serious discussions of actual, horrible gut-wrenching grief. And the ending...oh my god the ending had me sobbing. I loved this book.