The Wonder

This was one of my top books for 2016, easily. The story is very introspective, and so not a lot of action, but I love books that can make the life of the mind and quiet revelations just as powerful.

Lib, the main character, is a no-nonsense nurse who has trained under Florence Nightingale. She takes on a patient without knowing the exact nature of the assignment, and is distressed to discover her job entailed keeping an unrelenting eye on a child (Anna) who does not appear to be eating. The locals are sure it's a miracle, Lib is sure it's a scam.

The event at the heart of the mystery is tragic, and I imagine some readers will figure that portion out, but that doesn't lessen the impact.

Lib is hard to like at first. Good at her job, ethical, but also judgemental. Her initial response to Anna, even as she suspects her of being in on what she's sure if a hoax, is off-putting. But the story is an inner journey. She does not end up where she started.