The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Sometimes I’m glad I (literally) judge a book by its cover because I discover gems like this cover-love-purchase-that-delivered.

I have read The Room and although I liked the story, I also remember it dragged a bit (for a short book). For that I did not expect much from The Wonder despite its mysterious plot (and I do love a good mystery). There are similarities between the two books when it comes to style but for some reason I find I like this better. The author kept the number of characters to a minimum for both books which I suppose is also the reason why a lot of people complain about the seemingly overflowing monologue. That is where good writing comes. Emma Donoghue knows how to keep me engaged even with the “overflowing monologue” so 

I’m no Irish but I was born and raised in a mostly Catholic country where, in the early 90s, a teenager claimed the Virgin Mary talks to him. Although the kid in this book does not claim to witness an apparition or carry any message from the silver city, it reminded me of that hullabaloo because of the inclination of the people to blindly believe in something without proof. It’s a very controversial issue. More controversy comes in when the reason for the kid's solemn oath to fast was revealed. 

There's only so much my heart can take.