The Wonder

Emma Donoghue

This book is by the author of  the popular book "The Room".

It is the story of a British nurse who is sent to Ireland to watch a girl who has stopped eating.  A local committee want to verify that she is truly not eating.

The girl is the daughter of a poor Irish farming community.  She meets the local priest, Doctor, the girl's parents and a nun who is to watch the girl in alternating shifts along with her.

We find out that the Irish are very strong Catholics, somewhat superstitious too (fairies).  The girl and her parents are very religious.  The nurse, a trainee of Florence Nightengale, first searches the girls room for hidden food, she then starts to document the girls vital signs.  She finds no evidence of any food being left or given to the girl but she is suspicious that the nun, might be working with the family to create a believe in miraculous behaviour.

The nurse and nun have been hired to watch the girl for two weeks.  At first the girl's health seems to be okay and stable but after a week the nurse notices a definite deterioration in her condition, she becomes weak, her breathing and heart rate are affected.  The nurse learns that the girl stopped eating shortly after her first communion (confirmation).  She thinks it might be a hysterical reaction to this sacrement.  The girl is praying all the time and cherishing her pictures of saints and other items.

However, she finds out later that the mother had been coming to the daughter's room and giving her food from her mouth.  Now that the observers are there she has not been able to do this.

The girl's condition is deteriorating rapidly and the nurse notifies the doctor, the priest and eventually the committee.  They all seem prepared to have the girl die. The nurse shouldn't do it but she confides her concern for the girl to a newspaper reporter who has come to do a story about the girl.  He urges her to act on her concern.

The nurse eventually discovers that the girl's brother, who died previously had been having sexual relations with her.  When the girl heard that this was a sin she fears her brother is in purgatory or hell for his behaviour and that this is why she is doing this extreme action... to save her brother.  The nurse convinces her that she can die and become a new person, Nan.  She convinces the girl that eating will kill her and give birth to this new girl Nan.  The girl agrees to do this.  While the family is out to a mass in honour of the girl the nurse sets fire to the girl's room and she carries the girl to the waiting reporter who takes the girl away.
It is assumed that the girl died in the fire.  In reality the nurse, reporter and girl have fled Ireland and will start life as a new family.

This book really examined the role of faith, faith taken to the extreme, the pain of denial.  The mother was told about what the Brother did but she admired him so much she told the girl to never speak of it again so the little girl was bearing this burden.  It was an interesting story.