The Mercy of Thin Air

Written by Ronlyn Domingue

Narrated by Rebecca Gayheart

From debut author Ronlyn Domingue comes a stunning, imaginative novel that beautifully captures the nature of love and how it transcends all barriers -- even death.
In 1920s New Orleans, smart and fearless Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she suddenly dies in a tragic accident. Immediately after her death, she chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it. From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the story of her lost love, as well as the relationship of Amy and Scott, a young couple whose house she haunts seventy years later. Their trials finally compel Razi to slowly unravel the mystery of what happened to her first and only love and to confront a long-hidden secret.
The Mercy of Thin Air entwines love stories that echo across three generations culminating in a startling finish that will leave listeners breathless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 13, 2005
• ISBN: 9780743552417

Ronlyn Domingue

Ronlyn Domingue is the author of The Chronicle of Secret Riven, The Mapmaker’s War, and The Mercy of Thin Air, which was published in ten languages. Her essays and short stories have appeared in several print and online publications, including New England Review, Shambhala Sun, and The Nervous Breakdown. Connect with her on RonlynDomingue.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

Reviews for The Mercy of Thin Air

[Heather Cook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great short story. Very interesting points of view through out.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From Amazon: "New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor -- but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between -- a realm that exists after life and before whatever lies beyond it.

From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the stories of her lost love, Andrew, and the relationship of Amy and Scott, a couple whose house she haunts almost seventy-five years later. The Mercy of Thin Air entwines these two fateful and redemptive love stories that echo across three generations. From ambitious, forward-thinking Razi, who illegally slips birth control guides into library books; to hip Web designer Amy, who begins to fall off the edge of grief; to Eugenia, caught between since the Civil War, the characters in this wondrous novel sing with life. Evoking the power of love, memory, and time, The Mercy of Thin Air culminates in a startling finish that will leave readers breathless."

This sums it up better than I am able.....

It was a lovely book, haunting, mysterious told in the first person of Raziela (the ghost), who is still searching for he long lost love whom she left behind when she died.

It was not a difficult read pe se, but one that I found to be lyrical and floating in such a manner that I had a difficult time keeping a grip between worlds.....

This book isn't for everyone, especially those who dislike "other-worldly" literature.... nor is this a "favorite" and there was something missing for me, but I enjoyed the story.

[haikupatriot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent If I could have more books on a desert island, this would be in my top five.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

From the book jacket New Orleans, 1920s. Raziela Nolan is in the throes of a magnificent love affair when she dies in a tragic accident. In an instant, she leaves behind her one true love and her dream of becoming a doctor ? but somehow, she still remains. Immediately after her death, Razi chooses to stay between - a realm that exists after life and before what lies beyond it. From this remarkable vantage point, Razi narrates the stories of her lost love, Andrew, and the relationship of Amy and Scott, a couple whose house she haunts almost seventy-five years later.

My Reactions
This is an ethereal novel that moves back and forth in time as Razi?s spirit watches over Amy and Scott, but then takes time to recall her youth in 1920?s New Orleans. Through the flashbacks we learn that she was a well-loved and nurtured child, with parents who applauded her successes and encouraged her dreams. She was a free spirit and liked being a little naughty as well (sometimes going about ?without any dainties? under her clothing. Her awakening feminism fueled her desire to be a doctor, and also resulted in conflict between her and her beau, Andrew. But their love was stronger than the expectations of society and they were looking forward to a long and loving relationship when she died.

Amy and Scott happen on an estate sale and buy an old bookcase for their home, and that is how Razi comes to haunt them. For the bookcase was Andrew?s and still carries his scent. Razi has always wondered what happened to Andrew and now she cannot let that puzzle go. As she watches them, Razi realizes something is wrong in their marriage and she begins to play pranks (moving things about, pulling photos out of albums, dropping marbles) to bring them closer together. It?s not working, though. Amy has own tragic past she is struggling to overcome. And then Amy goes to visit her great aunt Twolly, and Razi begins to finally put together the puzzle of what happened to Andrew.

I liked Razi as a young feminist struggling to find her place in a world that had very clearly defined, and somewhat narrow, expectations for a young woman of her social class. I enjoyed her spirit, tenacity, intelligence, and courage. I thought her behavior as a ghost was somewhat out of keeping with the vibrant young woman she had been in life. Amy was a complete puzzle to me. I didn?t understand her long-standing grief or why she completely shut her husband (and anyone else) out of her turmoil. I felt the way in which her story line was concluded was abrupt. I think the dual plot lines got away from Domingue. Still, this is her debut novel and she shows promise.

I started out listening to the audio version, capably performed by Rebecca Gayheart. Her voices for Razi, Twolly, Andrew, Amy and Scott were believable and easy to differentiate. However, somewhere in the middle of disc two I was feeling lost in the plot and somewhat disconnected from the characters. Going to the text version to look up a certain passage I realized that the audio was abridged! Something that is not announced on the jacket, nor in the introduction to the novel. I hate when that happens! I finished the book reading the trade paperback.

[ekmr_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed how this book unfolded.

[womanofspirit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I reread this about every two to three years. Life in older N.O.L.A., mystery, relationships, ghosts. This book is exquisitely wonderful. My favorite work of fiction in my collection.

[julietearjerky · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

such a beautiful sad story. a heartbreaker. very touching. very poignant. I love Razi. I mourn for and with her. the moment she found Andrew was startling. I've been guessing that he's somewhat connected with Amy or Scott but it's still a shocker when the connection was revealed. I also admired Twolly. a dear friend. and I loved that Razi was there with her in her last moments. at first, I kept on asking so many what-ifs but the tragedy itself was what makes the story so beautiful. I felt Andrew's pain, it was devastating losing a love like that. and I want to understand his grief, the way he was broken after Razi's death. it was all too much.

[agjuba_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A New Orleans romantic ghost story flickering between the 1920s and the present. I like books that shift from time to time -- sometimes I felt that the time shifts weren't clearly presented, so I had remain alert to when the story was taking place. I read this while I was in New Orleans, so maybe being in the town colors my impressions, but I felt the author did a great job of evoking the atmosphere of the city.

[ljpower · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A heartbreaking story of love and lost. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story unfolded with the parallel storyline. Raziela is a terrific character, so modern for her time. Set against the suffragette movement, she was destined to be a pioneer. It is understandable then why she stays in limbo. Amy and Raziela have so much in common and their mates, Scott and Andrew are similar as well. Absolutely wonderful!

[teresa1953_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very moving and heartbreaking novel told from an unusual perspective by a young woman who drowns and is existing in "the between" where she follows the lives of her loved ones and teaches the newly departed how to do the same. Thoughtfully written in beautiful prose. I enjoyed this book very much.

[donnab317 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It was painfully beautiful.

[butterflybaby_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a love story. A young woman dies and spends 80 years searching for the love that she missed out on. The book flowed well and was easy to read.

[rcooper3589 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the premise of the book, I found its execution wasn't up to par. Many times the simple prose and unnatural dialog took me out of the novel, something I hate! I was also disappointed in all the coincidences- there were too many for me to feel they were real. Despite these major problems, however, I did enjoy the book- I liked how birth control played a major role- something you never really see in books set in the 1920's. This isn't one of my favorite books, however, it was a nice read- it got me thinking about the "in between." I just wish Domingue writing style wasn't so simple!FAVORITE QUOTES: "No one dies of grief. That's like dying of a broken heart. It doesn't happen. The will to live is stronger than grief. The world would be a lot emptier if people dropped dead like that." // "I'm waiting for a late-night telephone call from your mother telling me that you're in custody. There's a sock full of bond money in my dresser drawer."

[coolpinkone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. I compare it with The Time Travelers Wife. It is a story that really took me away from the present to a something electric and mystifying. The most moving characters and a wonderful multi-layer plot. I recommend this great story!

[madamejeanie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Raziela Nolan was a plucky, very forward-thinking young woman in 1929.Freshly graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans and accepted intomedical school at Northwestern against all conventional wisdom and custom,she spends her days tucking birth-control tracts into library books andholding "boyless parties" to hand out birth control and abortion informationto poor women and her nights in the arms of her lover, Andrew, in amagnificent love affair. Her life is exciting, interesting, and about to becut short by a clumsy fall by a swimming pool. Instantly upon her death,Razi chooses to stay "between" in the world of thin air that lies betweenthe living and whatever lies beyond. Forever 21, she is instructed in thethree rules for the dead: Don't linger around your loved ones, don't visityour own grave, and do not touch, ever. Razi narrates this wonderful taleof her own discovery of life from the realm of the dead. The story movesback and forth between her own lifetime, the years after it, and Amy andScott, the young couple she chooses to haunt 70 years later. Watching themcope with their own trials and griefs spurs her on to discover what becameof her own great love and discovers the wisdom behind the three rules. Sheunravels a long held mystery before she realizes that love really iseternal.I really enjoyed this book, a first novel that doesn't read like one. It isdefinitely not just another sappy romance novel. In fact, there is littlein it that resembles anything I've ever read before. There is an etherealquality to it that draws you right in. It's a story of emotions, first andforemost, told with great finesse. New Orleans in the Roaring Twenties,straight through the turbulent 60s and 70s, on through to the present day --all of it well described so that I felt I was there. Razi is a characterthat I won't soon forget. This one gets a high 5.

[readaholic12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An exceptionally written, engaging story of love and loss. Stunning, heart wrenching and life affirming. The story and characters will haunt me.

[tanyatomato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Different and interesting with wonderful twists and realizations in the end. Beautifully written, a very real feeling comes out of the pages.

[majorbabs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Story of a young woman in New Orleans in the 1920s, who dies after hitting her head on a diving pool board. Instead of going on into the hereafter, she stays "between" connected to life here by possessions of those she loved. Five stars.

[eas311 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a ghost story with a twist. i like books from the ghost's point of view. and two haunting (no pun intended) love stories. not perfect, but a good first novel.

[taramatchi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Told by a ghost, stories of two great loves unfold. Raziela is young when she leaves the love of her life behind, stuck inbetween she becomes a perfect narrator of the story of Scott and Amy, a young couple who purchases a chest with valuable secrets. Razi was not the typical woman of the 20's,caught between love and the future she always wanted, she reveals the story of her love for Andrew throughout her observations of the couple she resides with. Amy and Scott's story is not without its own obstacles. Raziela and Amy are so similar in some ways. Both outspoken and with a bit of wildness to them. I don't want to delve to much into the story, because it is like a gift. It surprised me with connections and its wonderful cohesiveness. The writing was almost melodic. It was both heart-wrenching, but hopeful at the same time. It was one of those stories that would make the most hard-hearted believe in the passion, beauty, and resilience of true love.

[lisalynne_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. The characterizations of independent young women in the 1920s were marvelous. The very Southern manners, the ways that the married couple she haunts is dealing with their problems...all seemed very true-to-life. It made me want to be "between".

[sammimag_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'll need to read it again for book club. I reall enjoyed it. Ghosts and true love. Made me cry.

[bookwormteri · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A truly romantic novel, but it took me a while to be convicned of that. I loved this book.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Razi, is a ghost, and has been such for over 70 years. As she ?moves? in with a young couple, she remembers her life, and her love affair with Andrew O?Connell, a man who wanted to marry her back in 1929 and whom she?s been searching for for years. As the young couple begins to have problems, Razi cannot help but try and help. BEAUTIFUL. Wonderfully written and heartbreaking, but sooooooooo romantic!