In the community

VALE NEWS: Book club takes up ‘Mercy’

Books on the Vale Book Club’s reading list can be checked out at the Vale Library. (Enterprise file photo)

“Mercy” by Jodi Picoult will be discussed by the Vale Book Club this Thursday, Nov. 4.

Theda Craig will be the facilitator of the meeting, which is at 7 p.m. at the home of Carol Spears, 683 Cottage St., Vale.

The novel is set in Wheelock, Massachusetts, a slightly eccentric town where most of the residents are of Scottish descent.

Police Chief Cameron MacDonald serves as both the clan chief and town protector. He faces the most difficult arrest of his career when his cousin Jamie confesses to him that he has killed his terminally ill wife out of mercy.

A heated murder trial puts the town in an uproar and drives a wedge into Cameron’s marriage. Aiding the prosecution, the chief is suddenly at odds with his devoted wife, Allie, who is seduced by the idea of a man so in love with his wife that he would grant her wish to end her life.

When an inexplicable attraction leads to betrayal, Allie faces hard questions: When does love cross the line of moral obligation? And what does it mean to truly love another?

Critics praise the author for her “personal, detail-rich style” that infuses this page-turning novel with warmth and candor. What could have been a competent novel about a mercy killing becomes an inspired meditation on love.

For information about the club, contact Lucy Hutchens, 208-739-6954, or Marge Mitchell, 208-739-6777.

The club’s December book selection is “The Alice Network” by Kate Quin, a historical novel about a female spy during World War 1.

Note: Review information is excerpted from Goodreads and Publisher’s Weekly online.

• SENIOR MEALS: The Vale Senior Center continues its onsite hot meal service on Fridays. Doors open at 11:30 a.m., with the meal served from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The cost is $3 and meals are also available to go. Beverages are provided by the center.

This Friday’s menu: Mac & Cheese, fish sticks, steamed veggies, dessert.

The senior center’s monthly board meeting is at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at the center, 100 Longfellow St. S.

WATER DISTRICT: The Vale Oregon Irrigation District board will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 521 A St. W. in Vale. On the agenda: the manager’s report, budget review and other district business. For more information, call 541-473-3243.

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