Sister Evelyn Fanning

Sister Evelyn “Evie” Fanning is the main character in Mercy House. Although she is not the narrator, the third-person narration is tightly linked to her perspective. Most of the time, whatever events are happening in the story are supplemented by Evelyn’s thoughts. She is both the point of view character, and the main character. The story of Mercy House, the place, is a communal one. But the story of Mercy House, the novel, is of Evelyn having to confront her past.

Evelyn confronts the past through her relationships with three people: Hawkins, Maureen, and Eloise. Hawkins is her rapist, and she has kept her assaults a secret for many years. He comes to investigate Mercy House on behalf of the Vatican, and she must defend herself and her residents from his physical presence and the threat that he brings of closing down Mercy House. Maureen...