The Wonder
Published
2016
Pages
—
Language
English
ISBN
9781509818391
About this book
An eleven-year-old girl stops eating, but remains miraculously alive and well. A nurse, sent to investigate whether she is a fraud, meets a journalist hungry for a story. Set in the Irish Midlands in the 1850s, The Wonder - inspired by numerous European and North American cases of 'fasting girls' between the sixteenth century and the twentieth - is a psychological thriller about a child's murder threatening to happen in slow motion before our eyes. Pitting all the seductions of fundamentalism against sense and love, it is a searing examination of what nourishes us, body and soul.
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AI Verdict
"The Wonder" is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully explores themes of faith, manipulation, and survival in a compelling historical setting. It's a must-read for those who appreciate intense character studies and moral dilemmas, particularly fans of historical fiction and psychological suspense. However, readers seeking lighthearted fare or sensitive to themes of child suffering might find it too intense.
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The Wonder by Emma Donoghue is a psychological thriller set in the Irish Midlands in the 1850s. It follows a nurse investigating an eleven-year-old girl who has miraculously survived without food for months. As the nurse uncovers the truth behind the 'fasting girl' phenomenon, she confronts the dangerous allure of fundamentalism and the slow-motion threat to the child's life. The novel explores the conflict between faith, reason, and the true meaning of nourishment, both physical and spiritual.
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