Join us for this LitStack Rec of Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder, as an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle.
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In This LitStack Rec of The Wonder
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
Summary
It’s 1859, and English nurse Lib Wright has been hired to travel to the Irish Midlands to observe a pending miracle—a young girl who for four months has supposedly subsisted only on “manna from heaven.” Lib is skeptical, and sure that she will uncover the deceit that must be enabling the girl’s behavior. But when Lib arrives at the humble cottage where eleven-year-old Anna O’Donnell lives, she discovers her task will not be nearly as simple as she first believed.
Actual Historical Phenomena
The Wonder is based on an actual historical phenomenon known as the Fasting Girls—usually (but not always) pre-pubescent girls who would claim to go for long periods without food or any other nourishment. Often (but not always) this was ascribed to religious convictions, and the girls were declared to be miraculous. Not all of them were found to be hoaxes, and some remain a mystery to modern thinking.
Lib is at the center of this story, caring, but skeptical, haughty, aloof. Seeing the mid-century world through her eyes is enlightening: the Irish are lazy, superstitious and not to be trusted, even in their own country; overt religion is for the ignorant and easily led; women can be proud and capable but within the limits of what is proper and established. When Lib first meets Anna and her family, she is suspicious of every word spoken, every gesture, expecting there to be some attempt to capitalize on the appearance of miracle. She affects a stance of professionalism as she awaits the opportunity to expose whatever deception is being played by the girl’s family, or even the girl herself.
However, author Emma Donoghue (Room, Frog Music) does not let the story fall into the familiar rut of conceit chipped away at by earnestness and enlightenment. Lib’s mission to root out the truth is as rigid and cold as the is the O’Donnell’s world of fervor and wonder, and they do not grow closer through mutual understanding; each are driven by a very different version of reality – and both feel equally uncomfortable and even irritating to the reader. This dissatisfaction drives the book to great effect.
An Elusive Truth
As time goes on, the truth remains frustratingly out of reach for Lib. To understand what brought Anna to this point, Lib’s questions subtly change from the motivations for using Anna’s piety to the reasons for such deeply held devotion, which stirs up conflict in Lib herself. As the story moves from methodical to racing, Lib faces hard decisions that not only test her sense of civility and reasoning but also the solidity of a pragmatic life built without the need for faith.
For me, The Wonder started well and gained speed, momentum and interest in the second half of the book (and what came in the first half was honestly quite valuable, in that it established time, place and especially temperament, something that is key to the story). I still find myself musing on The Wonder, and remembering distinct details from the narrative. I attribute this to the uniqueness of the story line, the veracity of the characters, and the deft way it was written. Ms. Donoghue continues to amaze with her ability to spin a very fine tale, indeed.
—Sharon Browning
About Emma Donoghue
Born in Dublin in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish emigrant twice over: she spent eight years in Cambridge doing a PhD in eighteenth-century literature before moving to London, Ontario, where she lives with her partner and their two children. She also migrates between genres, writing literary history, biography, stage and radio plays as well as fairy tales and short stories.
She is best known for her novels, which range from the historical (Frog Music, Slammerkin, Life Mask, Landing, The Sealed Letter) to the contemporary (Akin, Stir-Fry, Hood, Landing). Her international bestseller Room was a New York Times Best Book of 2010 and was a finalist for the Man Booker, Commonwealth, and Orange Prizes.
Other Titles by Emma Donoghue
Other LitStack Resources
Be sure and look at our other LitStack Recs for our recommendations on books you should read, as well as these reviews by Lauren Alwan, and these reviews by Rylie Fong, Allie Coker, and Sharon Browning.
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You can find and buy the books we recommend at the LitStack Bookshop on our list of LitStack Recs.
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