The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Dillon, Alena. Mercy House. HarperCollins, 2020.

Alena Dillon’s novel takes place primarily in 2010, with occasional flashbacks to the 60s and 70s. There are five chapters written in first person, where each one of the Mercy House residents detail their abuse and journey to Mercy House. The primary narrator is in third person, but is tightly linked to Sister Evelyn Fanning’s perspective.

The novel opens in January 2010 with Evelyn getting out of bed in the middle of the night to welcome in a new house member, a Puerto Rican woman named Lucia. Evelyn makes Lucia tea, talks to her about her options, and invites Lucia to stay the night. After a brief flashback explaining how Evelyn became a nun, we see that Evelyn gave up her bed so Lucia could have a place to sleep. Evelyn then describes that she became a nun because her father promised God she would become a nun if her older brother, Sean, survived the battle of Normandy.

The novel cuts for a chapter to a first-person chapter for Mei-Li. The next morning, Sister Maria and Sister Josephine are introduced, along with several other house residents. Evelyn heads out for community work. She remarks on the gentrifying of the neighborhood, and hands out muffins to the homeless, while asking around about who might be Lucia’s abuser, Angel Perez, a violent gang leader. Her last stop of the day is to her covert needle exchange.

When Evelyn returns, she sees Maria practicing Reiki on one of their residents. Josephine enters and tells the sisters that Bishop Hawkins is coming to Mercy House as part of a papal inquiry into the work of U.S. nuns. The narrative then cuts back to 1962. Over the course of a year, Hawkins groomed, sexually assaulted, and raped Evelyn repeatedly. She was about to attempt suicide but was stopped by a fellow novitiate named Eloise. Back in the present the sisters agree that they will have to make a plan to deal with Hawkins, and give an ultimatum to Lucia, who has gone out for the morning.

The next chapter is from Lucia’s perspective. She describes her mother, who lives off of her male lovers. Because of her fixation with money, she encourages Lucia’s attachment to Angel, despite his infidelity. When he becomes violent, Lucia finds out about Mercy House and goes.

Back in the present, Lucia returns. The sisters give her their ultimatum and she stays. Then the women have their daily Great I Am (GIA) meeting, where they say what is great about themselves or one another. Desiree, who is especially vulgar and crass, talks a lot. The following chapter is from Desiree’s perspective, showing how she escaped an abuser that groomed her as a teenager into becoming a prostitute. She left him when he almost killed her. When she first showed up the windows on the block were full of twinkling lights.

Evelyn spends several days in the attic, going through the house’s records to get rid of incriminating evidence. This includes things like encouraging women to divorce and housing lesbians. Their greatest crime, assisting women with abortions, is not in their records. The sisters believe they have weeks to prepare for Hawkins’ visit, but he shows up while Evelyn and Maria are in the attic looking at files. Evelyn disguises the boxes of unsorted records, then heads downstairs to Hawkins. He is rude and condescending. He believes he will stay in Mercy House, a thought that terrifies Evelyn. Despite not knowing about Evelyn and Hawkins’ past, the other two sisters convince him to stay somewhere else. Evelyn then goes to her friend and pastor Father John, to try and make him understand why Hawkins cannot be at Mercy House. Since Evelyn’s assault is a secret, John asks her to work with him. She goes home and her and the sisters burn the incriminating and unsorted records.

The following morning Hawkins lets himself into Mercy House. When Desiree comes downstairs, she talks about Reiki, which angers Hawkins since it is not church sanctioned. He then doles out a list of acceptable practices, then goes to look over the records. He returns quickly, asking where the rest of the records are, and Evelyn fabricates a story about a leak in the ceiling that destroyed the newer records. He says he will conduct interviews with the residents. Evelyn fears that these interviews might reveal one of three incriminating things: Desiree is a prostitute, Desiree is a bisexual, and Esther had an abortion.

The next chapter is from Esther’s point of view. She is a Haitian immigrant and describes the breakup of her family, and her relationship with her lover Emmanuel. He grew abusive with time and, when she tried to leave him, he raped her. She went to Mercy House, then got an abortion. Esther believes that the earthquake in Haiti is her punishment for having an abortion. She feels guilty about the abortion but does not regret it.

The novel switches back to the present day. Evelyn sits in on the interviews with the residents. There is tension throughout. Lucia reveals that Desiree is a bisexual and that the sisters know. Hawkins then searches the women’s rooms. He finds contraband like birth control, vibrators, and Esther’s journal, which he insists on taking since it is the only current record of the house’s events. Lucia and Desiree argue and Lucia leaves. Evelyn falls when she chases after Lucia. Evelyn then takes a bath, reflecting on what has happened and what will happen. While in the bath she hears Lucia return and Angel Perez knocking on the door.

Evelyn pulls on a bathrobe and goes downstairs. Her and the sisters pray loudly. After several warning shots Evelyn agrees to bring out Lucia, then goes out to him with a lighter and a can of Lysol, making a flamethrower. Angel shoots her, then himself. Evelyn survives, only being shot in the fatty tissue, but Angel dies on the operating table. Evelyn’s biological sister Maureen comes to visit her while she is recovering, but they argue and Maureen leaves. Evelyn is also visited by John and later by Mother Superior. She counsels Evelyn about the probable closing of Mercy House. After Mother Superior leaves, Evelyn gets a call from a New York Times reporter named Derek Harding, and she invites him to come interview her, then invites Hawkins as well. When he shows up for the interview, she threatens to reveal that he raped her, and he says he will reveal that John is a homosexual. She gives up to keep her friend safe. When the reporter arrives, after Hawkins leaves, they devise a plan to help save Mercy House.

Evelyn comes home from the hospital. The residents find out about Mercy House’s probable closing. Evelyn explains that Derek Harding is going to run an article about Mercy House to raise awareness and also funds. The article runs, and Hawkins and John are both upset at Evelyn. The women run their fundraiser. They raise their goal amount but Hawkins states on TV that the church is selling Mercy House. The women feel defeated, but Lucia finds out they probably have squatters’ rights, and can fight the sale. She tells Hawkins as much when he comes to gloat.

Life returns to normal for the house until mid-March, when Mother Superior comes to the house to get Evelyn and take her to talk with John. When they arrive, he tearfully tells Evelyn that she is excommunicated for her encouraging an abortion, meaning she is no longer a nun or a Catholic. On the way home she considers drinking, but does not. Katrina has an origin chapter. Bishop Hawkins runs a smear campaign against Evelyn that leads to her and the house getting threats, leading her to leaving. She visits her imprisoned brother Sean, then eventually calls her sister Maureen for help. The next day, Maureen picks up Evelyn and brings her to her home in New Jersey. Evelyn and Maureen argue. Their arguing ends when somebody tries to vandalize Maureen’s home and Maureen scares them off.

John visits Evelyn. Evelyn admits that she knows John is homosexual and that Hawkins will reveal that to the public if she confesses what happened to her. John says she needs to tell the world, that he doesn’t want to be the reason why Hawkins gets away with his crimes.

Evelyn goes to her old church on Easter Sunday. Nobody knows she’s coming, but the house residents are there, and she sits with them. Hawkins is also there. During the homily, John directs the church to Evelyn, who stands and tells them what Hawkins did to her. The reporter is also there, writing down her speech. Hawkins runs out of the church. After church she goes to an Easter party at Mercy House. During the party, Maria tells Evelyn where to find her old friend Eloise, working in Trenton, which is only an hour from where Evelyn now lives with Maureen. The narrative flashes back to when Eloise told Evelyn she was leaving the convent. After some talk, Eloise had kissed Evelyn and proclaimed her love, but Evelyn refused her.

The next day Maureen comes into Evelyn’s room and cuddles her and apologizes for their family abandoning her, but Evelyn does not want Maureen’s guilt, only her recognition of pain.
Later that day Evelyn drives to Trenton. She goes into the clubhouse where Eloise works, but they tell her she’s already left. On the way out, Evelyn sees Eloise. Eloise had seen Evelyn go in, but had not stopped her because she couldn’t believe it was true. The women talk, cry, and embrace. Despite the future’s uncertainty, the novel ends with Evelyn feeling hopeful in Eloise’s arms.