A Severe Mercy

This profoundly moving story tells of love, friendship and faith and finding the strength to go on amidst terrible pain. Author Sheldon Vanauken chronicles his courtship and marriage to his wife Davy. The couple’s bond is extremely close – so much so, that when they both convert to Christianity while studying at Oxford, Vanauken finds himself jealous of God for taking his place in Davy’s life.

Nevertheless, the Vanaukens remain committed to their faith and each other, within a circle of Oxford intellectuals that includes fellow Christian C.S. Lewis. But everything changes when Davy dies from a brief illness. For the young widower, overwhelming grief becomes a transformative experience that leaves him even more devoted to God. With 18 letters written by Lewis, A Severe Mercy is a heartbreaking yet ultimately inspiring tale.

Sheldon Vanauken (1914—1996) was a professor of history and English literature at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is best known for his autobiographical book A Severe Mercy. Vanauken was also the author of a booklet detailing his conversion to Christianity, Encounter with Light; a novel, Gateway to Heaven; a sequel to A Severe Mercy entitled Under the Mercy; The Glittering Illusion: English Sympathy for the Southern Confederacy; Mercies: Collected Poems; and The Little Lost Marion and Other Mercies.

“No brief review can do justice to the human depth of this book. It invites us to explore a beautiful dollhouse of love and to witness the destruction of a relationship too exquisite to last.”

– Washington Post