The Wonder

Publishers Weekly ¡ï 07/04/2016 Donoghue demonstrates her versatility by dabbling in a wide range of literary styles in this latest novel. Set mostly in a small, spare room inside a shabby cabin in rural 1850s Ireland, the closely imagined, intricately drawn story possesses many of the same alluring qualities as her bestseller, Room. Lib, a widow and former nurse, is summoned from London to the peat-smelling village of Athlone for a fortnight to assess whether 11-year-old ¡°living marvel¡± Anna O¡¯Donnell has truly been able to survive without food for four months. It could be some sort of hoax perpetrated by the girl¡¯s family or the village parish, and Lib confidently assumes that it¡¯ll be an open-and-shut case. But as each day passes and Anna¡¯s health suddenly begins to deteriorate, not only does Lib grow more attached to the earnest girl, but she also becomes convinced that Anna¡¯s reasons for fasting¡ªa recently deceased brother, devotion to God, her parents¡¯ influence¡ªrun far deeper than Lib imagined. Inspired by the true cases of nearly 50 ¡°Fasting Girls¡±¡ªwho lived throughout the British Isles, western Europe, and North America between the 16th and 20th centuries and became renowned for living without food for long periods of time¡ªDonoghue¡¯s engrossing novel is loaded with descriptions of period customs and 19th-century Catholic devotional objects and prayers. Even with its tidy ending, the novel asks daring questions about just how far some might go to prove their faith. (Sept.)