Staff Pick
Emma Donoghue's gorgeous novel, The Wonder, is based on the strange occurrence known as the "Fasting Girls." Almost 50 girls, between the 16th and 20th century, in North America, the British isles, and Western Europe, claimed to live on air alone.
Anna O'Donnell, 11 years old, has been fasting for four months, making her the center of attention in her tiny, deeply religious town in Ireland. Nurse Lib Wright is hired to watch Anna for two weeks to discover if she is secretly being provided with food. Lib is a woman of science, and she is quite sure there is some subterfuge in the O'Donnell house. Addressing issues of parental responsibility, medical science, the power of the clergy, prejudice of outsiders, sexual assault, new beginnings, the need for the proof of God's existence, childlessness, lost love, and extreme faith beyond all reason, The Wonder is an amazing story, and Donoghue's brilliant writing shines on every page. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Lib, a highly trained English nurse, is sent to a small town in Ireland where there is an 11-year-old girl claiming to no longer need food. The boggy town, almost too Catholic to function, is desperate for this little girl to be special. Lib wants to swiftly prove otherwise. Days pass and Lib can’t figure it out. Then it’s all too clear. I stayed up late to finish this patient, mysterious book. It is ridiculously engrossing. Recommended By Britt A., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In Emma Donoghue's latest masterpiece, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.
Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.
Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels—a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.
Review
"Donoghue demonstrates her versatility by dabbling in a wide range of literary styles in this latest novel.... The closely imagined, intricately drawn story possesses many of the same alluring qualities as her bestseller, Room. .... Donoghue's engrossing novel is loaded with descriptions of period customs and 19th-century Catholic devotional objects and prayers...[and] asks daring questions about just how far some might go to prove their faith." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"Outstanding.... Exploring the nature of faith and trust with heartrending intensity, Donoghue's superb novel will leave few unaffected." Sarah Johnson, Booklist (starred review)
Review
"[Donoghue's] contemporary thriller Room made [her] an international bestseller, but this gripping tale offers a welcome reminder that her historical fiction is equally fine." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
About the Author
Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is a writer of contemporary and historical fiction whose novels include the bestselling Slammerkin, The Sealed Letter, Landing, Life Mask, Hood, Stirfry and Frog Music. Her story collections are Astray, The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits, Kissing the Witch, and Touchy Subjects. She also writes literary history, and plays for stage and radio. She lives in London, Ontario, with her partner and their two children.