The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
The Wonder is the follow-up to Donoghue's hit novel Room. And it kind of makes me wonder what happened in her life that makes her come up with these very dark stories involving children.
Wonder is the story of Anna, an 11-year-old Irish girl in the 1800s who says she hasn't eaten anything for 4 months. Many people are hoping it's true since that would indicate that she is a saint in their midst. But the skeptics want proof that she isn't secretly eating. So the town committee hires an English nurse named Lib (who worked on the front lines with Florence Nightingale) and a Catholic nun, Sister Michael, to take turns watching Anna for 2 weeks to prove she isn't eating. Lib is very cynical at first but soon grows fond of the girl and becomes worried about her increasingly poor health. Lib has to battle the Catholic faith (which she doesn't understand at all), the Irish mindset (which, as an Englishwoman is foreign to her), and to a certain extent sexism. An Irish reporter is her only ally, as he too is extremely worried about Anna.
The first half of the book moves a little slowly. And there is a LOT of religion on these pages. But the second half has a lot of interesting twists and turns and reveals that keep things moving right along.
It's not an easy read but it is thought-provoking.
Wonder is the story of Anna, an 11-year-old Irish girl in the 1800s who says she hasn't eaten anything for 4 months. Many people are hoping it's true since that would indicate that she is a saint in their midst. But the skeptics want proof that she isn't secretly eating. So the town committee hires an English nurse named Lib (who worked on the front lines with Florence Nightingale) and a Catholic nun, Sister Michael, to take turns watching Anna for 2 weeks to prove she isn't eating. Lib is very cynical at first but soon grows fond of the girl and becomes worried about her increasingly poor health. Lib has to battle the Catholic faith (which she doesn't understand at all), the Irish mindset (which, as an Englishwoman is foreign to her), and to a certain extent sexism. An Irish reporter is her only ally, as he too is extremely worried about Anna.
The first half of the book moves a little slowly. And there is a LOT of religion on these pages. But the second half has a lot of interesting twists and turns and reveals that keep things moving right along.
It's not an easy read but it is thought-provoking.
Wonderful review. I'm putting this on my list. Room was disturbing compelling.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think once you've finished it! Julie
ReplyDelete