My New Friend, "CARRY ON," by Rainbow Rowell

 

Me with my new friend, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I'm on the left. 

Hello. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. It could be worse--- at least I'm not living out some kind of Chosen One plot requiring some grand sacrifice with my story living on. 

Speaking of which, I would like you to meet my new friend Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This is Rainbow Rowell's take on a Chosen One story, and I have read many people refer to it as the "Queer Harry Potter".  In this story, our hero is Simon Snow, who first appeared as a fictional character in Rowell's novel Fangirl (which I have not read). The lead character in that book writes fan fiction about Simon Snow, and, according to Rowell, she couldn't stop thinking about him and his world, so she had to write Carry On. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

A long while back, I read Rowell's book Eleanor and Park and really enjoyed it. Rowell knows how to create a realistic teen love story that sticks with you. 

I wanted to read some good stories this Pride Month with LGBTQIA+ characters, when I heard this was as much a queer love story as a "magic Chosen One" tale, I wanted to check it out. 

QUICK NOTE ABOUT HARRY POTTER, J.K. ROWLING AND TERFS

Like so many people with a pulse and breath, I loved the Harry Potter series and devoured them as they came out--- and I was in college. It is impossible not to see the influence of Harry Potter in any chosen one story since. 

Like so many people, I was disgusted when J.K. Rowling came out with her stance against the transgender community, particularly transgender women. I hoped she would evolve the on the issue, but instead has used her platform to spew transphobic bile, promote transgender misinformation and businesses, and, frankly, to ruin her legacy and the legacy of her work as something to embrace and include everyone. 

J.K. Rowling is a TERF. 

Fuck TERFs. 

So, yeah, I won't lie--- I jumped into the world of Simon Snow so I could recommend other magical stories that does not put money in TERF pockets. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Carry On is told from multiple first-person narratives, with our major protagonist being Simon Snow, the "chosen one" who is entering his final year at Watford, a school for magic children. Simon's mentor is "the Mage" (which is more like a title than a name), the current Headmaster at Watford, who is ruffling a lot of feathers in the magic world. Simon had always assumed he was a "Normal" (someone without magic), but it is clear he has magic that builds up and "goes off", magic he has a hard time controlling. 

Simon's best friend is Penelope Bunce, who is near the top of their class. She has been a part of many Simon adventures, and is a true confidant and brilliant wizard herself. Simon's girlfriend, Agatha, would rather be a Normal, or at least have a normal teenage experience, and is tired of losing herself in being a character in Simon's story. 

When Simon gets back to school, he is anxious for the scones (sour cherry--- he is an orphan and doesn't eat as well when not at Watford), anxious for his senior year, but not as anxious to be around his roommate Baz. The crucible chose them as roommates back when they were 11, and they have been at each other's throats ever since. They see each other as sworn enemies, and if Simon is really the Chosen One, he knows Baz will be on the side that wants to take him down. Baz comes from one of the old families, he is a snob, he has strong magic, and he is... a vampire. 

But for the first few months of school, Baz is nowhere to be found. Is he out plotting something against Simon and Watford? Is he joining an army against the Mage? Is he a victim of the Insidious Humdrum (the main monster in the book, who sucks up magic, leaving holes all over England)?

Or is he the love Simon Snow never even knew he wanted?

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I have to confess, the first 150 pages of Carry On are not as good as the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong--- they are fine, they establish the world and a few of the main characters and conflicts, but it isn't until Baz shows up that the narrative really takes off. 

Baz is a well-drawn character, and feels like a believable teen even though he is a vampire. 

And the love story between Simon and Baz is surprisingly believable. I only say "surprisingly" because the trope of "sworn enemies constantly fighting then falling in love" is pretty tired, and, for me, not always believable. But Rowell pulls it off. I think the first-person narratives help, as we get deep inside each character's head. It becomes easy to see there was love all along. 

TAKEAWAYS

Though Carry On feels complete in itself and appears to end where it ends, there are two sequels that I will check out in time. Must admit, I'm curious to see where Rowell takes these characters. 

It's a good book for representation and a sweet romance. 

My New Friend, "BECOMING NICOLE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY" by Amy Ellis Nutt

 

Me and My new friend, Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

Hello. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. Don't feel bad for me. I like who I am. 

Which leads me to how important my new friend, Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt can be to readers. It is a book about how we should all be free to be ourselves and to love ourselves. To know ourselves. It is also about how family are the people who should always stand behind you and fight with you to make sure you can be your true self no matter what anyone else might think. 

Let me introduce you...

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

I live in the state of Maine, and knew about the court case that becomes a major element of this book. And while I have never met Nicole Maines or any member of her family, I have been a fan for quite some time. Her advocacy is inspiring, and, these days, she is probably most widely known for being the first transgender superhero on television, playing Dreamer on Supergirl. It makes me so happy for her that this has been her journey, a journey of such great success, when it wasn't all that long ago she just wanted to use the school bathroom that corresponded with who she was, and wasn't allowed to do it. 

Strangely enough, even though I am a fan of Nicole's, I never knew this book existed until recently. When I did learn about its existence, I immediately checked my local library, was excited they had a copy, and checked it out. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Amy Ellis Nutt tells us the story of the Maines family, starting with married couple Wayne and Kelly who adopted identical twin boys, Jonas and Wyatt.  

A note before I continue:  Nicole was born a boy and named Wyatt. The book, telling the story from her infancy until her graduation from high school and gender affirming surgery, starts with the birth of the twins. Amy Ellis Nutt said in an interview that she discussed with Nicole extensively how to use the names and pronouns. I would NEVER misgender or use a dead name, but, according to Nutt, Nicole agreed that they should use the name Wyatt in the story up until the age of nine when Nicole started living her true self as a girl and changed her name.

From the beginning, the twins were close (as twins tend to be), but very different. Nicole states from the age of three she knew she was a girl. And as she was growing as "Wyatt", she always felt like she was girl, and was eagerly waiting for when she could be a girl. Her parents noticed it, too. Kelly encouraged her children in all things, even though Wayne wasn't sure how to deal with it (and would therefore just leave Kelly to deal with it). 

Wayne, you see, was a conservative man who grew up with certain expectations. He figured with twin boys, he would take them hunting and fishing, and have father-son bonding adventures, just as he always dreamed. When the truth about "Wyatt", became too much to ignore, Wayne knew he would have to change, too. 

In many ways, the books is just as much about Wayne's journey, and the journey of the entire family, as it is about Nicole becoming who she is. 

I think it would be difficult to read this book and not gain an incredible admiration for Kelly, who literally seems heroic in her quest to make sure her kids are safe and happy. She is a marvel throughout this book. It is nice that Wayne realizes his own hang ups often left Kelly alone to deal with things by herself, and tries later on to make up for it. 

Jonas always accepted that his identical twin was his sister and never had a problem with it. In fact, he is the one who told Wayne, "Face it, Dad. You have a son and a daughter." 

And it's true. 

People who don't understand, don't understand the science of gender or the science of sex. Nicole always knew she was a girl. When she was still barely past toddler age, she told her father that she hated her penis. If we can all just imagine for a second living in a body that doesn't reflect who we know we are inside, if we could all understand how difficult, how heart breaking it could be, maybe we could learn that acceptance and love is key here. 

(And yeah, this recent trend of comics using transgender people for punchlines are asshole bigots and don't know what they're talking about)

We not only get to see the family's growth, but how my home state of Maine treated the Maines family. Things were fine until a new student made an issue of Nicole using the girl's bathroom. The boy's grandfather used his grandson as a pawn, and threatened legal action against the school. He had the support of the Maine Christian Civic League (under the direction of the truly detestable Michael Heath- trust me, this guy is awful), and suddenly Nicole was told she couldn't use the girl's bathroom anymore but had to use a special unisex bathroom. And that's when the Maines had enough and filed a lawsuit. 

Along the way, Amy Ellis Nutt has chapters on the science of being transgender, and the book ends with pages of reading material, a glossary, and a list of resources for parents and kids. There were moments I cried (like the father-daughter dance), and, all in all, it just makes me wonder how people can let prejudice guide them. The Maines are a beautiful family. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

I wish everyone who needs to read this book would read this book. I know that is unlikely, but I do still think this book has made a great deal of difference, just as Nicole, and her family, continue to make a difference every day. 

With all of these anti-LGBTQIA+ legislations popping up around the country, particularly targeting transgender children, books like this are needed more than ever. And people speaking up is needed more than ever, too. To be a force of support, to let this community know that they are not alone, that they are loved, that they are complete and wonderful and beautiful. 

Read the book. It's a good friend to have. 

My New Friend, "PLAY IT AS IT LAYS," by Joan Didion

 

Me and my new friend, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, and what a brutal, relentless friend it is!

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. That's right. I have seen the nothing, but I keep on playing. So... there's that. 

Speaking of such things, let's talk about my new friend, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. I have read Didion's brilliant book of essays The White Album, and her memoirs The Year of Magical Thinking  and Blue Nights. I have only read one other of her novels, A Book of Common Prayer. 

Joan Didion passed away in December of 2021, and in her honor, I started keeping a notebook, something I have never really been able to do with any regularity before, and by some miracle, have actually written in it every night. 

Play It As It Lays was published in 1970, and was made into a movie in 1972 starring Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins. Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne wrote the screenplay. Interesting, sine the books is unquestionably scathing in terms of L.A., the movie business, and the 1960s. Some compare Didion to Nathanael West with this book, which I think is apt. I can also see how it must have influenced a writer like Bret Easton Ellis, a vocal Didion devotee (he even quoted the opening line of this novel during an interview with Larry King). 

So how about I introduce you?

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

As I said above, I am already a Joan Didion fan, and have made it a point to try to make friends with as many of her books as I can get. This novel was at my local library, The Thompson Free, so I happily grabbed it. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Play It As It Lays is told in a series of short, electric, and often cutting chapters. There are 84, to be exact, some not even a full page in length. I have mentioned how I like this technique, how, for me, it tends to make every moment pop, seem very alive, and this novel is no different. If anything, Play It As It Lays is even more "relentless" as Library Journal described it. 

It tells the story of Maria (pronounced Mar-eye-ah) Wyeth, who we meet in a mental hospital. There are a few short first person accounts, and then the novel dives into a third person narrative as we take the journey to learn how Maria ended up in the hospital. The journey includes her upbringing in the desert with her failed father, her becoming an actress on the East Coast, marrying film director Carter Lang and appearing in a few of his movies (including a documentary about her, unreleased), her Hollywood lifestyle, her hospitalized daughter Kate who she desperately loves, and her eventual divorce. 

What I did not know going in was that an underground, illegal abortion and its subsequent complications plays a huge role in the narrative. It hit me in a big way, especially since the SCOTUS may very well be overturning Roe v Wade, making humiliating, dangerous abortions like the one depicted in the book a very real possibility in this country again. And that makes me sick. 

I am not going to lie: this book is rough. Rough. But, goddamn, Didion writes so very well, and the prose simply crackles. 

IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS

I am not going to spoil the book, but I will say that one of the major themes of the book deals with the question, "What does anything matter?"  And often, one can't help but think that our characters here, and the 1960s themselves, leads to a very chilling answer---

Nothing. 

Nothing at all. 

But this book matters. It's unflinching honesty matters in a big way. 

Thanks for reading my take on Play It As It Lays. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

My New Friend, "RICK" by Alex Gino

 

Me and my new friend, Rick by Alex Gino. A remarkable middle-grade novel in the same world as their outstanding book Melissa.

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. But with a friend like Rick, by Alex Gino, one can really learn that they belong to a whole community of friends. 

Rick is a middle-grade novel that follows a supporting character from Alex Gino's outstanding novel Melissa (yes, it was originally published as George, but Melissa is a much more appropriate title and I am glad they were able to change it). And like Melissa, I believe it is an important and necessary book, and continues to be more and more as each day passes. Let me introduce you...

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

My friend Michelle is the youth librarian at my local library, and since I write plays for young people, I often ask her about good middle-grade and YA novels--- for one thing, I like to stay up-to-date on the market, but, even more honestly, I just really like reading middle-grade and YA fiction. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a snob about books for young people. I like to read a wide, diverse collection of books. 

And frankly, some children's and teen literature is just as, if not more important than much of the mainstream stuff published for adults. 

But I digress. 

My friend Michelle recommended Melissa by Alex Gino to me last year, and I read it and loved it. I highly recommend it. So this pride month, I wanted to read Rick, and I am glad that I did. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As with their excellent middle-grade novel Melissa, Alex Gino creates a relatable, important read with Rick. Rick, who was a minor character in "Melissa" has been best friends with the mean Jeff for a long time, and often stays quiet when Jeff is being unkind to others, because, as we all know, it can be so hard to speak up.

But Rick is going through some changes. With the start of middle school, and his big sister moving out to go to college, Rick begins to have feelings that he's not like other boys his age. Unlike Jeff, he doesn't find himself checking out the "hotties", and it increasingly bothers him when his Dad keeps bringing up how normal it will be for him to start noticing girls ("Or boys," his Mom adds). But Rick doesn't have those kinds of feelings for boys or girls. He decides to attend the Rainbow Spectrum Club at school, for the LGTQIAP+ community and anyone with questions--- a club for everyone. But he knows he must keep his membership a secret from Jeff.

Alex Gino's story will resonate with every middle grade kid. Their characters are fleshed out and interesting, and the relationships are wonderful--- I particularly love Rick's relationship with his Grandpa Ray. And it's great to see Melissa again, and know that she is being her best self.

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

As mentioned above, I love the relationship between Rick and his Grandpa, as they bond over their favorite sci-fi show. It's a delight to see how they become so close to one another. 

Which is something I think Gino does really well. They always have a couple really cool and supportive adult characters that the young characters can talk to and confide in. It's nice to see that represented. 

Gino makes Rick's struggles to stand up to Jeff so real. And the community they have created with the Rainbow Spectrum club is a delight. 

And Gino provides an afterward about the evolving language of the LGBTQIAP+ community or the QUILTBAG+ , depending on which you prefer. I learned things from this book as well, particularly how the idea of being an "ally" shouldn't be a noun, but a verb, something that we do and not who we are. 

TAKEAWAYS

As I have said, this book is important. As more and more hateful bills targeted at LGBTQIAP+ children, and specifically transgender children, we need books like this. I am not exaggerating when I say that representation saves lives. 

Read this book with your kids. And if you know a kid who is struggling, give them these books. 

And if you are a young person under 25 who is confused, needs support, someone to talk to, consider the Trevor Project, and their TrevorLifeline, 866-488-7386, or TrevorChat at thetrevorproject.org

Happy Pride Month. Feel free to comment below. 

My New Friend, "TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS" by Kate Racculia

 

Me and my new friend, Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia. My new pal is set in Boston, giving me an excuse to show my Red Sox pride here. 

Hi. I'm Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books... well, and sometimes the occasional binge watch of Twin Peaks, or favorite horror movies. In this way, I am much like the title character of my new friend. Shall I introduce you?

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Another loner who loves books once recommended Kate Racculia's second novel  Bellweather Rhapsody, and I read up on it and it sounded like a book that I would enjoy and that would speak to me. I knew it was at my library, but the day I went to check it out, it had just been culled for their annual book sale. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts was still available, and after reading the blurb, I decided it would be fun. 

I have since purchased and received a reasonably priced copy of Bellweather Rhapsody from an independent bookstore. I look forward to it. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Tuesday Mooney fancies herself a loner. She enjoys her work researching rich people for the purpose of fundraising at the hospital, she enjoys tutoring her teenage neighbor Dorry, and enjoys the occasional night out playing karaoke roulette with her friend Dex. But the prospect of being needed makes her feel uneasy, ever since her best friend Abby disappeared when they were teenagers, and subsequently started talking to her in her mind. 

Tuesday also loves puzzles and mysteries, so when an eccentric billionaire named Vincent Pryce dies, after setting up an elaborate treasure hunt for the city to play, Tuesday is sucked into the excitement and the adventure of it all. And while she becomes a bit of a local celebrity when she discovers the initial clues, her world gets intertwined with that of a billionaire family, with one brother who might be dangerous, and another who might be a potential boyfriend. 

And, after years of silence, Abby starts talking to her again. 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

I could talk about the fun literary and pop culture references that abound in these pages. I could talk about the fun banter, the quirky set ups, and the love letter to the city of Boston. I could talk about the little twists and mysteries along the way.  

But for me, what really hits me in the imagination here are the characters, especially the main characters, who Racculia creates with such care. Tuesday Mooney is a complex character who isn't always likeable, but who you like and root for anyway. She has practiced cutting herself off from the world, especially since the disappearance and presumed death of her best friend. It is easier to be alone, to need anyone and not be needed. To remain a mystery, even to herself. 

Her friend Dex is a great creation, and it is refreshing, in my opinion, that the character is informed by but not defined by being a gay man in Boston in 2012. Dex dreamed of being a musical theater performer, but found himself rising in the ranks of finance, a job that he is very good at even if it makes him feel awful a good portion of the time. He is also longing to know his true self. 

Dorry, the young woman who Tuesday tutors, is another wonderful creation, perhaps my favorite. She has lost her mother, and does have desperate need for connection, to the extent that the first she really met Tuesday, she hugged her. She wishes she could talk to ghosts. 

The side characters are fun too, especially Lyle, the widow of the eccentric Vincent Pryce. 

TAKEAWAYS

I had a fun time reading this book, and also, as a performer myself, appreciated the journey of the character Dex. It is not easy to navigate this life, and the book explores this theme, and comes to the conclusion that it is easier to do so with people you love, need and care about--- and while this might sound simple, it is actually deeper and more complex than one might think. 

Could 20 pages have been cut along the way?  Maybe, but in doing so, it might take away from the great character stuff that really made the book for me. 

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts. Please feel free to share yours in the comments below....

My New Friend, "MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER," by Oyinkan Braithwaite

 

Me and my new friend, My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Hello. I'm Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. You might think this is a call for sympathy, but, the way I see it, books will never call you up unexpectedly and ask you to help clean up after a murder. 

Speaking of such things, my new friend I want to tell you about today is My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. This dark wonder of entertainment is a fascinating debut, and I have no doubt you will find it easy to make friends with it. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

My Sister, the Serial Killer came up on a number of different book talks I watched on YouTube. Like most people with a pulse, I found the title more than a little intriguing, so I checked it out of my local library. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

My Sister, the Serial Killer is a darkly comic first-person narrative about a Nigerian nurse named Korede who has a bit of a problem. The problem is not a spoiler, as it is laid out in the title. Korede's younger sister Ayoola is a serial killer. Before she was simply a killer, but 3 is the magic number to get one to the title of "serial killer".  The book begins with Korede helping her sister clean up the mess. I guess it is helpful that Korede is a bit of a cleaning freak. 

Korede feels responsible for taking care of Ayoola, and has since the very beginning. Ayoola is the beautiful one, the one who turns heads, the one their mother believes actually has a chance of being married. Ayoola is also very shallow, uses her looks to get what she wants, and, is a bit of a narcissist sociopath who never takes responsibility for her actions. 

But what can you do? Family is family. 

Korede is in love with a doctor named Tade. It seems the only respite she gets from her sister's shadow is at the hospital, where she works hard, runs a tight ship, but daydreams about Tade and confesses her sister's sins to a coma patient. 

But when Ayoola shows up at the hospital and Tade catches a glimpse of her, he is immediately smitten. This is no surprise to Korede--- people are always smitten with her sister. But how can she let the man she loves date a woman who may end up killing him?

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Korede is a wonderful narrator, given a complex and believable voice by Braithwaite. More than the dark humor and violence at the core, this book is about a relationship between sisters. Korede is expected to always take care of her sister, the pretty one, the fair one, the one that men love and fawn over. One is immediately sympathetic to Korede. And though she feels this bitterness toward her sister (justifiably so, in my opinion), Braithwaite manages to make the reader believe that Korede will protect Ayoola, even after she kills. 

I love that the chapters are short. It keeps the pages turning, and, like with Vonnegut, each little chapter seems to be a compact, interesting moment that keeps the story building and building. If one is in a reading slump, I think the pace and structure of this book--- along with the fact that it is a quick read--- will help get you out if it. 

I also love the fact that Braithwaite examines the fact that people want to believe there is something deeper in a beautiful person who attracts them. Tade is a nice, sensitive character, but Korede witnesses him fall for his shallow sister. More than this, she sees him attribute more to Ayoola than what is truly a part of her personality. It is a kind of delusion and justification. Ayoola even tells Korede that Tade is no different than any man, and only wants her because she is beautiful. This is a fascinating theme to explore, and one that feels all too true at times in the real world. 

I also love the device of Korede confessing her feelings to a coma patient. It tells us so much about her as a character, and her need to connect with someone, in some way. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

Do yourself a favor, and make friends with My Sister, the Serial Killer. It won't take you long to read, and, if you're like me, once you're finished you will be eagerly wondering what Oyinkan Braithwaite will bring us next. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

My New Friend, "THE WONDER" by Emma Donoghue

 

A picture of me with my new friend, The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue

Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. Don't believe me? Then maybe you should hire a nurse and a nun to come and watch me to see if it is true....

Which brings me to my new friend, The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, a piece of historical fiction that is also a real page turner. 

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Though I had read Emma Donoghue's brilliant novel Room and seen the film adaptation, I hadn't heard of The Wonder until I became a fan of a YouTube channel called Books and Things, hosted by Katie Lumsden, who recommended it. You can learn more about her YouTube channel by CLICKING HERE.

Fortunately, my home town library had a copy I was able to check out. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

The Wonder is about a young, widowed nurse named Lib (short for Elizabeth) Wright, who was trained by Florence Nightengale in the Crimean War. The novel takes place half a decade after her service there, so in the Victorian period. She has been hired to go to Ireland to watch an 11-year-old girl named Anna O'Donnell, who claims to have taken no food for four months. Lib has been hired by the local physician to keep a constant watch on the girl (splitting watches with a nun named Sister Michael) to see if it is true that she is taking no nourishment. 

Lib figures the job will be easy. She immediately assumes the whole thing is a hoax and that the girl is somehow faking it. After all, no one can live without food for four months, can they? But things aren't so simple (they rarely are in books). Lib, no matter how skeptical she is, cannot find any traces of subterfuge or sneaking food. Anna is a bright, friendly girl, who carries a heavy sense of piety. People are coming from all around to see her, believing her to be a miracle. But Anna is humble, sincere, and, though she tries to keep a professional distance, Lib begins to care for the girl. 

The mystery is compelling. So is the final act of the book, when all is revealed, yet Donoghue somehow manages to still build suspense. 

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Both Lib and Anna are wonderfully drawn characters, in no small part because neither is perfect. Lib can come across as a bit narrow-minded when it comes to the Irish, and admits her complete ignorance of the terrible horror that was the potato blight. Still, we see this world through her eyes, and she is very smart and resourceful. She becomes more and more complex the closer she feels toward Anna, and it is this closeness that draws the reader in as well. 

Anna is captivating. A sweet, calm, bright child. It is almost impossible to believe she could be faking the fast. She is so very devout. Like Lib, there are times when reading that I just wanted to should, "Eat! Please!"

There are some wonderful side characters who also populate this novel. A favorite of mine is Kitty, a servant or "slavey" or cousin in the house, who I like because she withholds a bit of mystery in herself, too. 

There is even a little romance, with an Irish journalist named William Byrne, who knows a thing or two about starvation, who spent his early years writing about it for the paper. As someone who has done quite a bit of research about Ireland during the terrible famine, I know how terrible it was, and how the English did nothing to stop it at the time. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

I recommend The Wonder, particularly for those who like historical fiction with a bit of mystery involved. It is a unique tale, well told. It shows that Emma Donoghue has a great deal of versatility, following up a contemporary, heartbreaking novel like Room with another brilliant, yet markedly different, novel like The Wonder.