The Mermaid Chair: A Novel
A transcendent tale of a woman's self-discovery—the New York Times–bestselling second work of fiction by the author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings
Inside the church of a Benedictine monastery on Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion.
When Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to the island to cope with her eccentric mother’s seemingly inexplicable behavior, she is living a conventional life with her husband, Hugh, a life “molded to the smallest space possible.” Jessie loves Hugh, but once on the island, she finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk about to take his final vows. Amid a rich community of unforgettable island women and the exotic beauty of marshlands, tidal creeks, and majestic egrets, Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, with a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right, and with the immutable force of home and marriage.
Is the power of the mermaid chair only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie’s life? What happens will unlock the roots of her mother’s tormented past, but most of all, it will allow Jessie to discover selfhood and a place of belonging as she explores the thin line between the spiritual and the erotic.
Inside the church of a Benedictine monastery on Egret Island, just off the coast of South Carolina, resides a beautiful and mysterious chair ornately carved with mermaids and dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was a mermaid before her conversion.
When Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to the island to cope with her eccentric mother’s seemingly inexplicable behavior, she is living a conventional life with her husband, Hugh, a life “molded to the smallest space possible.” Jessie loves Hugh, but once on the island, she finds herself drawn to Brother Thomas, a monk about to take his final vows. Amid a rich community of unforgettable island women and the exotic beauty of marshlands, tidal creeks, and majestic egrets, Jessie grapples with the tension of desire and the struggle to deny it, with a freedom that feels overwhelmingly right, and with the immutable force of home and marriage.
Is the power of the mermaid chair only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie’s life? What happens will unlock the roots of her mother’s tormented past, but most of all, it will allow Jessie to discover selfhood and a place of belonging as she explores the thin line between the spiritual and the erotic.
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
Sue Monk Kidd does another beautiful job of writing about people and the complicated relationships that form the web of their lives. I will be coming back to this book from time to time for her amazing insights into love and marriage and family.
enjoyed it - the story is about a woman named Jesse who has been married to Hugh for 20 years. She gets acall from a friend of her mother- informing her that her mother has cut off (on purpose) one of her fingers and must come to be with her right away- Jesse goes back to the island where she grew up - she relives the day her father died- boat explosion- and the story of "The Mermaid Chair" which is housed in the monestary next door to her mother's home- Jesse learns of one of the monks (Dominic) who may know thereason her mother would do something so horrible. She meets Brother Thomas or Whit as she finds out is his birth name. She falls in love with him- her husband comes to town to visit - she turns him away asking for time apart- she has "relations" with Whit- Whit's not sure what he's gonna do about his vows- her mother cuts off another finger- all the while she has been painitng and getting to know herself through all this- She calls Hugh to the hospital, he thinks they're gonna get back together then he finds her paintings- he figures out and asks her "who is he?" she's honest with him. She spends a couple more months on the island eventually learning her mother (and friends) helped her father comit suicide, making it appear to be an accident- she takes it all in and knows she wants to be with Hugh. she goes home, he takes her back- good book- I cried at the end
Coming of age novels don't need to have teenaged main characters. This lovely and intimate story of grappling with ones ghosts and finding oneself was truly enjoyable. Kidd paints us vivid pictures of this Gullah island in the Carolinas and the quirky inhabitants who live there, as well as their prodigal daughter, come back to heal wounds, new and old. The characters were well developed and thoughtful.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.