Book Review: The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue
By Ellen Baxter
Lib is a Nightingale trained nurse from England charged with watching eleven year old Anna who has not eaten in four months. Anna lives in Ireland with her devoutly Catholic family, minus her brother who died last year. Sister Michael, an Irish nun and nurse, shares the job of observing Anna with Lib. People come from afar to see the saintly, starving girl and to drop coins into the poor box stationed just inside the door of Anna’s home. The local doctor, McBrearty, believes Anna is turning into a reptile! Is this a religious hoax? Or is it a miracle? Is someone secretly feeding Anna? Is Anna destined for sainthood?
This novel’s characters are well drawn and compelling. The mystery surrounding little Anna gets more complex as Lib learns more about her religious devotion and her family. The plot will keep you guessing until the very end!
Emma Donoghue also wrote Room, which was made into a movie. The Wonder is available on Overdrive.
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