“I’ve been thinking on your situation, vague as it is to me, and I can’t help but wonder if more people are lonelier than either of us will ever know. Maybe lots of people are walking through their days, lonely as can be and believing no one understands what it’s like. That’s not a very cheering thought, is it?”
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
Well, this book was FANTASTIC and is one of my favorite books of the year. Everything about this book was absolutely perfect and it turned me into a sopping mess for a bit, but it’s really a wonderful, heartwrenching story that I think a lot of people would really enjoy.
Mercy Birdsall is an undertaker in Tanria, she helps bodies pass through to the next life, providing much needed comfort for people and their families as their life journey ends and their next one begins. This is a job she kind of got pushed into, but deep down it’s one that she really loves. Her father, Roy, has too many health issues to continue the heavy labor of the job, so he mainly works the office side of Birdsall and Son, but Mercy knows that he won’t be able to continue that for long. Worried about the fate of her family’s business, she focuses on her work, throwing herself into the daily routine she has built for herself.
There’s only one person who can rile her up, anger her and infuriate her within seconds of greeting. And that’s Hart. Hart is a Marshal of Tanria. His job is a dangerous one, keeping Tanria safe from drudges (souls that have inhabited dead bodies). Because of the nature of his work, he often has to bring these bodies to Birdsall and Son, meaning he often runs into Mercy.
Mercy and Hart have never seemed to get along. Always at odds, their attempts at niceties often quickly turn to infuriating jabs that leaves one or both of them irritated and annoyed. Mercy would be happy if she never had to see Hart again, and Hart often thinks the same.
One day, Hart writes an anonymous letter to a friend, and sends it through the mail, not expecting it to get anywhere. The act of writing it is all he thinks he needs. But when he starts to recieve letters in return, the walls he built start to crumble, and he realizes he’s let himself live in loneliness for too long. (Also the mail delivery service in Tanria is so whimsical and cute, you have to read it just for that!).
This book is a bit of fantasy, a bit western, a lot of lovely romance and focuses on the importance of love and family. There are some You’ve Got Mail nods here too, which I absolutely loved! Honestly, this book couldn’t be anymore perfect. I am eagerly counting down the days until book 2 is released!
Of Worlds Forgotten 
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