The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

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date started: 3/19/2022

date finished: 4/2/2022

duration: 12:23

genre: fiction, mystery

from: mpl

reason: challenge

This book is more enjoyable than I expected and had many twists.  Because it is an audiobook and in Ireland, there were times I had difficulty understanding but I decided I didn't want to slow it down because I was getting the overall meaning.  Nurse (Lib) and nun have been called in to verify this child (Anne) hasn't eaten in four months.  Lib thinks someone is sneaking her food.  Her brother has died nine months ago of some gastric issue.  Lib found out that when Anna's mother would kiss her she was feeding her "manna."  Anna told her mom no more kisses and then she started fasting.  

William (the journalist) and Lib become friends.  They discover she is no longer getting manna when she goes back through her journal and find the part where she wrote she pushed her mom away.  They realize she is dying.  Lib wants to know why she is fasting.  She discovers her brother had been molesting her since she was nine.  She called him her husband and brother.  She is fasting so she can be forgiven for her sins because that is what the priest told her.  No one in her family believed her or chose to ignore her.  

Lib decides to kidnap Anne in order to save her life.  Her and William devise a plan.  She tells Anne that the milk she will give her will kill Anne and she will wake up Nan.  Anne agrees to this.  After William takes Nan away, Lib sets the house on fire.  She gets burned (unintentionally I think).  There was some sort of hearing after the fire.  The nun saw William taking Anne away but said nothing.  Lib was not convicted of anything and met up with William and Nan.  The epilogue didn't exactly annoy me...they are getting married and moving to New Zealand and hopefully Nan will survive.