The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue

Set in New Orleans, written by an LSU alum and a Christmas gift from my parents, The Mercy of Thin Air is a book I set out to absolutely love. I mean really, why wouldn't I? Ronlyn and I are practically related, right? Well, I finished the book and I dunno. She may be too sophisticated for me. It was an interesting story and one I don't regret reading but it was a lot of work. I had to read and re-read passages to be sure I understood what she was saying. But like I said it was interesting. The story is about a young woman, nicknamed Razi, in the 1920's who graduates from Tulane and then dies in a swimming pool accident. She is caught between heaven and earth, although not in those words, and as tweener has to deal with love lost as do those left behind. Domingue frequently switches from present day to the past interweaving lives and loves along the way. Razi is way ahead of her time in the feminist movement, attending Tulane (not Newcomb, the girls' counterpart college), passing out birth control literature at the risk of jail time and planning to attend medical school even if it's in a city far away from her beau. How scandalous! I was disappointed that Domingue failed to capture the essence and uniqueness of New Orleans. Really, this could have taken place anywhere. No huge regrets reading this but happy to move on to an easier read.