The Wonder
Updated: Aug 8
Religion and superstition—one in the same to me, but see them differently if you must—can be dangerous things. Add pride to the mix and, as Emma Donoghue’s The Wonder deftly illustrates, the results can be disastrous. Set in the mid-19th century in a small village outside Athlone in central Ireland, the story concerns an 11-year-old girl who is said to have survived without food for four months. Two nurses, including our protagonist, Lib, a veteran of Florence Nightingale’s Crimean campaign, are brought in to observe Anna O’Donnell around the clock for a fortnight to determine if she is, as she and her family claim, living off “manna from heaven,” or if the whole thing is nothing more than an elaborate ruse.
I wasn’t hooked at the outset. Frankly, I didn’t care for Lib. Unbearably conceited, constantly complaining, ruthlessly judgmental, and relentlessly skeptical, her dislike and distrust of everyone and everything was exhausting. But then the watch begins. A day goes by, then two, then three. A week passes. Lib begins to question everyone and everything, including herself. We learn more about her background, her story, and she becomes more human, more three-dimensional. At the same time, the story gets more complicated, too. Layers build upon layers, the mystery deepens, and the tension gets wound tighter and tighter until I thought I would snap.
The Wonder works on so many levels—psychological thriller, mystery, period piece, love story—that it’s just about the perfect book for anyone. Room was my first Emma Donoghue book; The Wonder won’t be my last. If you haven’t read her yet, this is a great place to start.
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