The Wonder of All Things

Jason Mott introduces us to another fantastic idea. In The Returned he imagined a world where our dead come back to us. Now in The Wonder of All Things he explores the idea of a modern day miracle worker; a healer – and the ramifications that occur when the world comes knocking on this new ‘messiah's' door.

After an accident at an air show, thirteen-year-old Ava is caught on camera saving the life of her best friend, Wash. This unexplained miracle leads to thousands of people inundating the small town of Stone Temple – all hoping for a chance to see and possibly be healed by The Miracle Child. But healing takes a great toll on Ava: as she gives life, so hers drains away. With the thousands and thousands of people pleading for her help, who should Ava choose to save? And at what personal cost?

While the premise is promising, and the idea intriguing, I felt the story and writing fell a little flat. As with The Returned, I wasn't invested enough with most of the characters (with the exception of Ava's stepmother – Carmen). I also guessed the outcome of the story quite early on in the book – although that did not deter me. The premise wasn't pushed far enough, I felt as though we just barely broke the surface of major moral dilemmas – social responsibility; selfishness; science vs religion and so on.

At its heart The Wonder of All Things is about the value of life and what motivates us. Is every life equally important? Or should one be sacrificed to save many? There are many ethical conundrums in this book, and it will beg the question: what would I do?