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Miracle Girl: A Novel
Perhaps the first miracle was that she lived. The crowds keep coming. They arrive, all with their reasons, all with their doubts and certainties and everything in between. More and more every day, drawn by rumor and whisper and desperate wish. They come to Shaker Street to see eight-year-old Anabelle Vincent, who lies in a coma-like state-unable to move or speak. They come because a visitor experienced what seemed like a miracle and believed it happened because of Anabelle. Word spreads. There are more visitors, more supposed miracles, more stories on TV and the Internet. But is this the divine at work or something else?
- GenresFictionContemporary
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2015
22 people are currently reading
1082 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Roe
4 books47 followersAndrew Roe is the author of The Miracle Girl, a Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist, and Where You Live, a short story collection. His fiction has been published in Tin House, One Story, The Sun, Glimmer Train, Slice, The Cincinnati Review, and other publications, as well as the anthologies 24 Bar Blues (Press 53) and Where Love Is Found (Washington Square Press). His nonfiction has been published in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Salon.com, Writer's Digest,and elsewhere. He lives in Pleasant Hill, California, with his wife and three children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
May 2, 2015
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
"Word spread. Somehow they heard about the little girl on Shaker Street, the one who almost died—who should have died—but didn't, and now she can't speak or move, she's paralyzed, mute, hooked up to machines and tubes, her body a living statue, but also holy, blessed, a gift from God, a child who heals and gives hope to those in need."
Eight-year-old Anabelle Vincent is in a coma-like state called akinetic mutism. She is unable to move or speak, and no one is sure whether she has any idea what is going on around her. Following the accident that left her in this condition, her parents made the decision to care for her at home rather than institutionalize her.
One day, a friend of her mother experienced what seemed to be a miracle after spending time in Anabelle's presence. She also noticed a religious statue weeping. Word quickly spread, and the visitors started coming from near and far, desperate to spend a few minutes with Anabelle, hoping against hope that she might help them or a family member combat disease, distress, infertility, poverty, or other problem. Within a few months, Anabelle has become an utter phenomenon, and people wait for hours on end outside her house for a chance to experience the same type of miracles that so many others have.
Anabelle's mother, Karen, has made it her life's mission to care for her daughter, even at the expense of her marriage, as well as her physical and mental well-being. She often can't remember the last time she left the house. Yet as she sees what hope Anabelle is bringing to others, she realizes she cannot deprive people the opportunity for the miracle that evaded the girl herself. So she opens her home to the visitors, the media, even the army of volunteers who help with everything from website updates to schedules.
Anabelle's father, John, left because he couldn't handle the pressure that caring for his daughter was putting on him and his wife. But as he drifts from place to place, job to job, never putting down roots for long, he can't help but wonder if his place is back with his family, despite the strain it may cause. And he wonders if Anabelle might give him the miracle of a family one more time.
Andrew Roe's The Miracle Girl is an insightful look at American life just before the millennium, the desperation of people to believe in miracles and have hope, and how a family copes with the idea that their daughter, whose own life is far from the one they dreamed for her, can provide such benefit to total strangers. It's also a look at the lives of some of those who come to Anabelle for help, as well as a teacher bent on proving that the miracles are hoaxes, and the priest who is part of his archdiocese's investigation into the purported miracles.
I found this book intriguing but uneven. Sometimes it was really compelling, fascinating even, but when the book shifted to the mundane details of Karen and John's lives, I lost interest. The book doesn't really take a position on what is happening, but a plot twist leaves a lot of things unresolved, and actually causes a few more questions than answers. But Roe is very talented, and definitely has created a thought-provoking story that may challenge your own ideas of whether miracles like these truly exist in our world.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
"Word spread. Somehow they heard about the little girl on Shaker Street, the one who almost died—who should have died—but didn't, and now she can't speak or move, she's paralyzed, mute, hooked up to machines and tubes, her body a living statue, but also holy, blessed, a gift from God, a child who heals and gives hope to those in need."
Eight-year-old Anabelle Vincent is in a coma-like state called akinetic mutism. She is unable to move or speak, and no one is sure whether she has any idea what is going on around her. Following the accident that left her in this condition, her parents made the decision to care for her at home rather than institutionalize her.
One day, a friend of her mother experienced what seemed to be a miracle after spending time in Anabelle's presence. She also noticed a religious statue weeping. Word quickly spread, and the visitors started coming from near and far, desperate to spend a few minutes with Anabelle, hoping against hope that she might help them or a family member combat disease, distress, infertility, poverty, or other problem. Within a few months, Anabelle has become an utter phenomenon, and people wait for hours on end outside her house for a chance to experience the same type of miracles that so many others have.
Anabelle's mother, Karen, has made it her life's mission to care for her daughter, even at the expense of her marriage, as well as her physical and mental well-being. She often can't remember the last time she left the house. Yet as she sees what hope Anabelle is bringing to others, she realizes she cannot deprive people the opportunity for the miracle that evaded the girl herself. So she opens her home to the visitors, the media, even the army of volunteers who help with everything from website updates to schedules.
Anabelle's father, John, left because he couldn't handle the pressure that caring for his daughter was putting on him and his wife. But as he drifts from place to place, job to job, never putting down roots for long, he can't help but wonder if his place is back with his family, despite the strain it may cause. And he wonders if Anabelle might give him the miracle of a family one more time.
Andrew Roe's The Miracle Girl is an insightful look at American life just before the millennium, the desperation of people to believe in miracles and have hope, and how a family copes with the idea that their daughter, whose own life is far from the one they dreamed for her, can provide such benefit to total strangers. It's also a look at the lives of some of those who come to Anabelle for help, as well as a teacher bent on proving that the miracles are hoaxes, and the priest who is part of his archdiocese's investigation into the purported miracles.
I found this book intriguing but uneven. Sometimes it was really compelling, fascinating even, but when the book shifted to the mundane details of Karen and John's lives, I lost interest. The book doesn't really take a position on what is happening, but a plot twist leaves a lot of things unresolved, and actually causes a few more questions than answers. But Roe is very talented, and definitely has created a thought-provoking story that may challenge your own ideas of whether miracles like these truly exist in our world.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
April 13, 2015
I’m not exactly sure how to explain how I felt about The Miracle Girl. I’m not a spiritual or religious person by any means and I went in to this book totally open-minded. I liked it, but I also think it was bland and unexciting. It never made me emotional like I thought it might and no event or character jumped off the page.
I enjoyed all the different perspectives that the reader was given. I do wish there was more background on Anabelle. I get that she was a “weird” and “special” kid, but I wanted more than that. Overall, I liked the book well enough (I debated between giving it 2 or 3 stars). I think the ending more than anything bumped it up to 3 stars for me.
*Received a free copy in exchange for a review*
I enjoyed all the different perspectives that the reader was given. I do wish there was more background on Anabelle. I get that she was a “weird” and “special” kid, but I wanted more than that. Overall, I liked the book well enough (I debated between giving it 2 or 3 stars). I think the ending more than anything bumped it up to 3 stars for me.
*Received a free copy in exchange for a review*
June 16, 2015
I'll go 3.5 stars. The writing was good, but not much really *happened* in this book. A young girl is in a coma-like state after an accident and people begin to experience healing/miracles after being in her presence. Soon, her mother opens up their home to allow those in need to come and get help. The father leaves due to the marriage being in shambles...people flock to get time with the "miracle girl" to help in their time of crisis. The church investigates and everyone has an opinion on if she is legit or not. This was set in 1999, so the approaching "Y2K" phenomenon adds extra tension. My favorite section was the guy that believed in God "just in case", because if he's real then you're covered...and if you don't believe, no big loss right? I thought that was a very amusing outlook on religion. Pretty good book, but not one I'd beg you to try.
August 14, 2015
(3.75 STARS)
This was a good read. Slow moving, yes, but uplifting with a nice ending. :)
This was a good read. Slow moving, yes, but uplifting with a nice ending. :)
March 27, 2015
"The Miracle Girl" is a novel about an extraordinary event that is told in a rather ordinary way, not the writing, but the story itself… it is not dull, but not much happens. But, I suppose that might be the point: the fact that life happens at all is kind of miraculous.
The chapters cover different characters’ points of view; mostly the saintly, tireless mother and the penitent, absent father, but also a host of other characters that are drawn into the girl’s orbit (the priest, the skeptic, the physical therapist, etc.), but the chapters that were the most compelling are told by the girl, Anabelle, herself. These chapters, unfortunately, too few, really feel like the mind of a child: fast paced, jumping from one thought or memory to the next, nonsensical and magical, but still more aware of the adult world than she would be credited.
Everything in the book is painted totally realistically, from the thoughts of the characters, to the banter of TV news personalities, to the drab cubicle farm of an office building.
Don’t be swayed away from this book by the seemingly “Christian” connotations, it is only Christian in the way that saying, “Oh, my God!” is a prayer – that is to say even atheists probably do it hundreds of times a day. This book is not pushing any sort of agenda or belief; like the characters in the book, the interpretation is left up to the reader whether they see a sent-from-above-MIRACLE, or just one of life’s weird and amazing marvels.
The chapters cover different characters’ points of view; mostly the saintly, tireless mother and the penitent, absent father, but also a host of other characters that are drawn into the girl’s orbit (the priest, the skeptic, the physical therapist, etc.), but the chapters that were the most compelling are told by the girl, Anabelle, herself. These chapters, unfortunately, too few, really feel like the mind of a child: fast paced, jumping from one thought or memory to the next, nonsensical and magical, but still more aware of the adult world than she would be credited.
Everything in the book is painted totally realistically, from the thoughts of the characters, to the banter of TV news personalities, to the drab cubicle farm of an office building.
Don’t be swayed away from this book by the seemingly “Christian” connotations, it is only Christian in the way that saying, “Oh, my God!” is a prayer – that is to say even atheists probably do it hundreds of times a day. This book is not pushing any sort of agenda or belief; like the characters in the book, the interpretation is left up to the reader whether they see a sent-from-above-MIRACLE, or just one of life’s weird and amazing marvels.
September 14, 2015
Not sure why I picked this up. But every once and a while I grab something that is outside the usual genres and authors I enjoy. I made myself get through it, the story was kind of relentlessly sad. And the people, settings, rather mundane and unexciting. But the writing was beautiful, even the descriptions of all that was 'mundane'. It felt a little like 'life', how if you just sit anywhere and look around it's what you choose to focus on that makes the difference between compelling and mundane. The reason the story pulled me in was the thread of 'hope' that was woven throughout. Not even so obvious at times. You hoped for these people, even when they weren't hoping for themselves. Even when their lives were so thick with painful muck they could hardly move a foot forward. Sometimes hope gives you what you need to keep your head above water. Not to make progress but just to survive through it. Until what you are hoping for happens - or it all comes crashing down. But even then, we somehow just adjust what we are hoping for. Because, in my experience, hope is a necessary part of the human condition. And as hard as this was at times to read, it reminded me of that and why.
May 21, 2015
“The Miracle Girl” is an ambitious novel. Andrew Roe deftly navigates a narrative told through multiple points of view that somehow all comes together seamlessly. It’s a story about hope, loss, faith, and the search for human connection that is poetically written yet an accessible page-turner. You can’t help but feel something for these characters he’s created – all of them. You’ll finish wanting more and looking forward to his next book.
June 19, 2017
This was a long, leisurely walk to exactly nowhere.
I can't say that I learned anything profound or interesting about any of the characters except the dad. *He* was worth his own separate novel for sure; his backstory alone would be intense. The other characters in this book were thrown out for the reader's inspection and then left to wither on the novel-vine.
This almost read like a treatment for a screenplay. Lots of characters, lots of interesting little tidbits thrown out for consumption, and then...nothing.
I give this two stars because it wasn't horrible. It just wasn't good enough to be memorable on my shelves.
I can't say that I learned anything profound or interesting about any of the characters except the dad. *He* was worth his own separate novel for sure; his backstory alone would be intense. The other characters in this book were thrown out for the reader's inspection and then left to wither on the novel-vine.
This almost read like a treatment for a screenplay. Lots of characters, lots of interesting little tidbits thrown out for consumption, and then...nothing.
I give this two stars because it wasn't horrible. It just wasn't good enough to be memorable on my shelves.
July 20, 2018
Interesting story, but the writing style wasn't my favorite. I found it hard to get through the book.
July 30, 2015
This is the story about an 8-year-old girl who is in a care accident, and goes into a coma-like state. While caring for her, the mother and a friend noticed a distinct smell of flowers coming from the girl. This snowballs to the point that the public now thinks of her as a kind of saint, and will wait hours to receive a few minutes to be in the same room with the girl.
This reminds me of the true story of Audrey Santo, the little girl who drowned, and lived for like 19 years in a coma-like state, and who had spectators from around the world come to her home and view her in 5 minute increments because of stigmata like instances that surround the girl (I would assume this is what the story of which the author based his novel?) The endings are different, but the tones of both are similar.
If I can really FEEL what the characters are feeling in a book, if I can immerse myself in the book and block out all sources of activities around me, I give it at least four stars. This book didn't do it for me. It told the story, but it almost seemed like a biography, where it told the 'facts' and only that. I couldn't empathize or sympathize with any of the characters, except for possibly Annabelle, and only because I couldn't imagine being an unwilling participant in what is my opinion of a sideshow.
This reminds me of the true story of Audrey Santo, the little girl who drowned, and lived for like 19 years in a coma-like state, and who had spectators from around the world come to her home and view her in 5 minute increments because of stigmata like instances that surround the girl (I would assume this is what the story of which the author based his novel?) The endings are different, but the tones of both are similar.
If I can really FEEL what the characters are feeling in a book, if I can immerse myself in the book and block out all sources of activities around me, I give it at least four stars. This book didn't do it for me. It told the story, but it almost seemed like a biography, where it told the 'facts' and only that. I couldn't empathize or sympathize with any of the characters, except for possibly Annabelle, and only because I couldn't imagine being an unwilling participant in what is my opinion of a sideshow.
April 24, 2015
Andrew Roe has written a PRE-apocalyptic novel set in the heady days leading up to Y2K – remember that? – with doomsday cults and predictions of total destruction.
The Miracle Girl features a cast of lovable losers and fortune’s fools right out of a Nathaniel West novel. The book is set in El Portal, a fictional suburb in southeast L.A. somewhere between Norwalk, La Mirada and La Habra in a hard-to-find neighborhood where its instantly clear whether you belong there or not.
After a violent traffic accident, Annabelle Vincent has fallen into a coma-like state. The story follows the aftermath of this accident that has also wrecked the marriage of Annabelle’s parents, Karen and John.
But when visitors to Annabelle’s bedside start reporting strange and unexplainable phenomena like weeping statues and miraculous cures, people from all over the country hang their hopes and fears on this helpless little girl.
The Miracle Girl features a cast of lovable losers and fortune’s fools right out of a Nathaniel West novel. The book is set in El Portal, a fictional suburb in southeast L.A. somewhere between Norwalk, La Mirada and La Habra in a hard-to-find neighborhood where its instantly clear whether you belong there or not.
After a violent traffic accident, Annabelle Vincent has fallen into a coma-like state. The story follows the aftermath of this accident that has also wrecked the marriage of Annabelle’s parents, Karen and John.
But when visitors to Annabelle’s bedside start reporting strange and unexplainable phenomena like weeping statues and miraculous cures, people from all over the country hang their hopes and fears on this helpless little girl.
April 24, 2015
"Miracle Girl" is a touching novel on the beautiful life of a girl in a coma-like state. I give this book a 4/5. The novel was modernized with the use of technology, something that is commonly not there as often in newly published books. The book started sentences with a lot of conjunctions (For-And-Nor-But-Or-Yet-So) and not much goes on, but other than that, I do not have a problem with it. It was interesting reading all of the points of view, almost like in "Wonder." I would definitely recommend reading it for it will truly touch you and how you view the world.
Read
September 9, 2015Had to quit this. I was really struggling with the writing style and just couldn't get into it. 83 pages in 8 days?? Life is too short...and the 'to-read' list too long to persevere any further.
August 5, 2016
Read it from first to last page and never got into it. I was waiting for the answers; they never came.
May 4, 2023
This book was simply terrible.
I was interested to read it, because I knew the author had (very) loosely based it on the story of Audrey Santo, a "miracle" girl from Worcester, MA. who was in a coma-like state and supposedly cured people. I have kind of a macabre fascination with these types of stories, so thought the book would be interesting.
It wasn't.
The author is sloppy: the plot jumps around, the characters don't ring true, and the story gets lost in a quagmire of stream of consciousness style thoughts and descriptions. The whole thing reads like a bad dream.
The ending (HUGE SPOILER ALERT) was probably the worst part..having Annabelle wake up at the big anniversary event! Come on! That was so unbelievably cliched. Maybe that was his point, but it was really silly nonetheless.
Don't waste your time! I'm just glad I got the book as part of a Scribd subscription so didn't pay for it.
I was interested to read it, because I knew the author had (very) loosely based it on the story of Audrey Santo, a "miracle" girl from Worcester, MA. who was in a coma-like state and supposedly cured people. I have kind of a macabre fascination with these types of stories, so thought the book would be interesting.
It wasn't.
The author is sloppy: the plot jumps around, the characters don't ring true, and the story gets lost in a quagmire of stream of consciousness style thoughts and descriptions. The whole thing reads like a bad dream.
The ending (HUGE SPOILER ALERT) was probably the worst part..having Annabelle wake up at the big anniversary event! Come on! That was so unbelievably cliched. Maybe that was his point, but it was really silly nonetheless.
Don't waste your time! I'm just glad I got the book as part of a Scribd subscription so didn't pay for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2021
How do I give this book a 0 zero star rating. There was nothing intriguing about this book at all. The girl was in a coma and people visited her... so what? The ending was predictable and there was a lack of a climax. Honestly not even sure why the book had so many pages, it felt like the author was turning in an essay that lacked any character and they were just trying to hit a specific word count. Everything felt the same and was extremely boring. I never read a book that put me into a reading slump, but I was so disappointed after reading this book that I didn't read for two months after. Don't waste your time, you can read the summary of the book and predict the rest of the book from that alone.
June 18, 2019
This was a book club selection, so I really wanted to finish it, even though I knew I could not be at the meeting this time. I tried the ebook, and then when it was apparent that I didn't have time to sit and read, I downloaded the audiobook for my commute. Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me. I gave up after getting about 20% into the book. My book club friends told me I didn't miss much, so the book is officially DNF!
January 3, 2023
I’m not sure exactly how I feel about this book. It took me quite a while to get through; I feel as though it was relatively slow moving throughout. It’s not the kind of genre I usually read, but I did enjoy the author’s writing style.
June 4, 2018
Lovely story, captivating.
September 22, 2019
I got this book through Goodreads Giveaways. I found it hard to connect to the characters or the plot.
September 22, 2022
A book of hope. I needed that.
December 4, 2022
Didn’t like. Could not finish.
Read
November 7, 2023ugh - a bit of a slog
January 22, 2015
I am actually quite troubled, I am finding myself unable to say and explain how much I disliked this book. Why? I suppose it's because it was just so bad it melted my brain.
First of all: it is sooo confusing. The author tries to mix past and present but it makes you the job to actually understand if it's past or present so difficult it actually hurts. The frustration that I went through while trying to read the book was so real it made me feel so hollow in my inside. This hate just grows and grows while I try to explain it.
Another reason for the non-stop hate would be that the mother is just so stupid! Her husband abandons her and the author makes it seem as if she hadn't even noticed, as if she was too busy laying on the sofa paralised to worry about her husband leaving. She seems like a stereotypical christian mother who doesn't do anything, just obeys like "God has dictated for the women", I must say I am a feminist but not a bad way, I just believe women have the same rights as men and can do the same things as men and that we are certainly not instruments of the devil, written in the Bible. That is why when I read something about christianity and about women being stupid I get so frustrated. The mother actually lets strangers slomber and go all over her daughter just because she is "God's helper" kind of.
I'm not saying I didn't actually like the idea of the story, I just didn't like how the author chose to represent and write this idea. I have no problem reading religious books or series, I mean, I love Supernatural, but it gets to a point where some stories just go over the line and this one was one of them. And now it's not even about the christian part and all but more like the way the author wrote was horrible, the writing was depressing and just mind-explosive (in a bad way).
The only actual thing that I liked was Anabelle, she was great, her thoughts and memories were awesome but as I didn't see to much of her POV's and feelings it just wasn't enough for the story to at least get a 3 out of 5 stars. I would've given it a 0 out of 5 stars but Anabelle mae the story a bit better so I will give it a 1 out of 5 stars.
I certainly do not recommend this book to anyone - at all; I mean you might like the idea or even the book but - I am not recommending this book at all. If I ever was to read another book from this author it would have to have loads of good reviews to actually create an interest on me. I just couldn't handle his book, I wanted to smash it on the table!
I really would hope other people actually liked this book and it would be so great if you didn't feel this hate I feel for this book because it's consuming me!!!!! just horrible.
I hope I didn't frighten you too much and I would love to know what you think about this book if you have read it or what your first impressions are.
First of all: it is sooo confusing. The author tries to mix past and present but it makes you the job to actually understand if it's past or present so difficult it actually hurts. The frustration that I went through while trying to read the book was so real it made me feel so hollow in my inside. This hate just grows and grows while I try to explain it.
Another reason for the non-stop hate would be that the mother is just so stupid! Her husband abandons her and the author makes it seem as if she hadn't even noticed, as if she was too busy laying on the sofa paralised to worry about her husband leaving. She seems like a stereotypical christian mother who doesn't do anything, just obeys like "God has dictated for the women", I must say I am a feminist but not a bad way, I just believe women have the same rights as men and can do the same things as men and that we are certainly not instruments of the devil, written in the Bible. That is why when I read something about christianity and about women being stupid I get so frustrated. The mother actually lets strangers slomber and go all over her daughter just because she is "God's helper" kind of.
I'm not saying I didn't actually like the idea of the story, I just didn't like how the author chose to represent and write this idea. I have no problem reading religious books or series, I mean, I love Supernatural, but it gets to a point where some stories just go over the line and this one was one of them. And now it's not even about the christian part and all but more like the way the author wrote was horrible, the writing was depressing and just mind-explosive (in a bad way).
The only actual thing that I liked was Anabelle, she was great, her thoughts and memories were awesome but as I didn't see to much of her POV's and feelings it just wasn't enough for the story to at least get a 3 out of 5 stars. I would've given it a 0 out of 5 stars but Anabelle mae the story a bit better so I will give it a 1 out of 5 stars.
I certainly do not recommend this book to anyone - at all; I mean you might like the idea or even the book but - I am not recommending this book at all. If I ever was to read another book from this author it would have to have loads of good reviews to actually create an interest on me. I just couldn't handle his book, I wanted to smash it on the table!
I really would hope other people actually liked this book and it would be so great if you didn't feel this hate I feel for this book because it's consuming me!!!!! just horrible.
I hope I didn't frighten you too much and I would love to know what you think about this book if you have read it or what your first impressions are.
May 19, 2015
Reviewed by June J. McInerney for www.AuthorExposure.com
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a miracle as “…an extraordinary event attributed to some supernatural agency; any remarkable occurrence or specimen”. Whether one does believe in miracles and the power of religion and faith in our lives are resounding themes of The Miracle Girl (April 2015) by Andrew Roe.
Closely following a seemingly true ABC 20/20 story in the mid-1990s about a young girl in Massachusetts, this novel explores the fictional world of seven-year-old Annabelle Vincent who, on the cusp of Y2K, is stricken after a car accident with a coma-like state called akinetic mutism; she cannot speak, she cannot move; doctors cannot ascertain if she is conscious; although her eyes are wide open, barely blinking. Her prognosis is dim and bleak at best.
Yet, seemingly miraculous events occur around and through her. The fame of her supposed supernatural abilities exponentially spreads from the small, impoverished Los Angeles suburb of La Porta throughout the nation and the world. Thousands flock to her bedside seeking solutions to their problems and cures for their various ailments – for themselves, for friends, families, and loved ones. Despite their claims, one is left to wonder if it is, indeed, true. Can Annabelle really effect miracles?
A nonfiction writer at heart, Roe capitalizes on his matter-of-fact yet lyrical writing style to explore in depth the lives that Annabelle touches: her parents, Karen and John; her physical therapist; the visitors; the neighbors; and Father Jim Hinshaw who is assigned by the archdiocese to investigate and determine if the strange occurrences purported to be happening are, in fact, miracles. Speculative at best, this author has bravely – and lovingly – tackled the eternal questions of belief and faith, plunging his reader into a problematic dilemma, wondering about reality and second guessing the novel’s nebulous ending.
Not easily categorized into one specific literary genre, Roe’s first full-length fictional offering poses more questions than can be answered. A treatise on modern religion and theology as well as a stunning exegesis of the world beyond our empirical nature, it is above all a wonderful study and story of the multi-faceted, often miraculous sides of human nature.This review was originally posted on Author Exposure
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a miracle as “…an extraordinary event attributed to some supernatural agency; any remarkable occurrence or specimen”. Whether one does believe in miracles and the power of religion and faith in our lives are resounding themes of The Miracle Girl (April 2015) by Andrew Roe.
Closely following a seemingly true ABC 20/20 story in the mid-1990s about a young girl in Massachusetts, this novel explores the fictional world of seven-year-old Annabelle Vincent who, on the cusp of Y2K, is stricken after a car accident with a coma-like state called akinetic mutism; she cannot speak, she cannot move; doctors cannot ascertain if she is conscious; although her eyes are wide open, barely blinking. Her prognosis is dim and bleak at best.
Yet, seemingly miraculous events occur around and through her. The fame of her supposed supernatural abilities exponentially spreads from the small, impoverished Los Angeles suburb of La Porta throughout the nation and the world. Thousands flock to her bedside seeking solutions to their problems and cures for their various ailments – for themselves, for friends, families, and loved ones. Despite their claims, one is left to wonder if it is, indeed, true. Can Annabelle really effect miracles?
A nonfiction writer at heart, Roe capitalizes on his matter-of-fact yet lyrical writing style to explore in depth the lives that Annabelle touches: her parents, Karen and John; her physical therapist; the visitors; the neighbors; and Father Jim Hinshaw who is assigned by the archdiocese to investigate and determine if the strange occurrences purported to be happening are, in fact, miracles. Speculative at best, this author has bravely – and lovingly – tackled the eternal questions of belief and faith, plunging his reader into a problematic dilemma, wondering about reality and second guessing the novel’s nebulous ending.
Not easily categorized into one specific literary genre, Roe’s first full-length fictional offering poses more questions than can be answered. A treatise on modern religion and theology as well as a stunning exegesis of the world beyond our empirical nature, it is above all a wonderful study and story of the multi-faceted, often miraculous sides of human nature.This review was originally posted on Author Exposure
May 31, 2016
Review appeared first @ Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2016/...
Eight year-old Annabelle is practically in a coma; akinetic mutism, it’s called. She is awake, but unresponsive and unable to move, and not even her mother knows what, if anything, she is thinking. This would all be sad though unremarkable except that those who have visited her seem to have miraculous things happen to them: illnesses cured, relationships mended, feelings of peace amidst the turmoil of the closing months of 1999. Is Anabelle healing those around her? Is it truly a miracle?
The Miracle Girl absolutely nailed the zeitgeist of the last half of 1999. Having lived through the turn of the millennium as an adult, I appreciated Roe’s characterization of the time. He perfectly captured the mania, nervousness and (retrospectively needless) bravery-through-insecurity that coursed through society at the time. Crazy times lead people to ponder both the desire and need for hope and miracles.
Despite being central to the novel, Annabelle doesn’t really play much part in the story. The true story of The Miracle Girl revolves around Karen and John (Anabelle’s parents), the priest investigating the supposed miraculous healings, and the “Smiling Skeptic,” a blogger who is nearly evangelical in his desire to expose the mysterious to the light of reason.
Roe made a smart choice telling this story from multiple viewpoints. It made it easier to sympathize with the main characters, especially John, who abandoned Karen and Anabelle shortly after Karen took Anabelle out of the hospital to care for her at home. The omniscient perspective also makes it easier to determine why certain people act as they do (which amused me a little because of the subject matter and the fact that the author is nonreligious). That said, if you don’t like stories that bounce around from viewpoint to viewpoint and between time periods, The Miracle Girl might not be the best book match for you.
Eight year-old Annabelle is practically in a coma; akinetic mutism, it’s called. She is awake, but unresponsive and unable to move, and not even her mother knows what, if anything, she is thinking. This would all be sad though unremarkable except that those who have visited her seem to have miraculous things happen to them: illnesses cured, relationships mended, feelings of peace amidst the turmoil of the closing months of 1999. Is Anabelle healing those around her? Is it truly a miracle?
The Miracle Girl absolutely nailed the zeitgeist of the last half of 1999. Having lived through the turn of the millennium as an adult, I appreciated Roe’s characterization of the time. He perfectly captured the mania, nervousness and (retrospectively needless) bravery-through-insecurity that coursed through society at the time. Crazy times lead people to ponder both the desire and need for hope and miracles.
Despite being central to the novel, Annabelle doesn’t really play much part in the story. The true story of The Miracle Girl revolves around Karen and John (Anabelle’s parents), the priest investigating the supposed miraculous healings, and the “Smiling Skeptic,” a blogger who is nearly evangelical in his desire to expose the mysterious to the light of reason.
Roe made a smart choice telling this story from multiple viewpoints. It made it easier to sympathize with the main characters, especially John, who abandoned Karen and Anabelle shortly after Karen took Anabelle out of the hospital to care for her at home. The omniscient perspective also makes it easier to determine why certain people act as they do (which amused me a little because of the subject matter and the fact that the author is nonreligious). That said, if you don’t like stories that bounce around from viewpoint to viewpoint and between time periods, The Miracle Girl might not be the best book match for you.
June 6, 2016
Anabelle is an 8 year-old severe, car accident victim, whose body (and mind) are rendered in a comatose-like state, complete with an assisted breathing machine, feeding tube, catheter, and more. Her room is where she will spend the rest of her life, that is until all these miraculous things start happening to the people that visit her and now call her "The Miracle Girl." Drawing attention nationally, visitors trek across the globe to sit and pray with the girl. Anabelle's mother, Karen, is her full-time caretaker, president of "Anabelle's Angels," although, halfway through the novel, we come to realize that she just wants some normalcy back. She decides, especially after John, her husband, returns to be with the family, promising to be a better father and spouse, that there will be a final goodbye, prayer service at a large high school football stadium. It is here that, miraculously, Annabelle comes to life again, breathing, moving, and speaking.
At the book's lose, Anabelle is married with a child, struggling emotionally and mentally to be a mother to her child (juxtaposed with her mother--Anabelle is suffering from severe memory loss (STM), whereas her mother and father struggled together, pushing them apart). It was definitely an unsatisfying close, although, as a reader, I was definitely rooting for Anabelle to wake up. But, when she does, there just isn't enough divulging into the unanswered, miraculous aspects to truly pull me in. I am happy she is functioning and awake, but what about everything else?
A matter of fact novel exploring the human need to believe in something, whether miraculous, spiritual, or scientific. A guaranteed explanation is not one the reader will come across, and I can't figure out if that makes the book more or less successful. I think in our author taking a stand, we are able to decide whether we agree or disagree (our ending is met with a "things just happen" philosophy). In leaving the mysteries ambiguous, we either remain undecided (which occurred in my case), or take it upon ourselves to explore the topic further.
At the book's lose, Anabelle is married with a child, struggling emotionally and mentally to be a mother to her child (juxtaposed with her mother--Anabelle is suffering from severe memory loss (STM), whereas her mother and father struggled together, pushing them apart). It was definitely an unsatisfying close, although, as a reader, I was definitely rooting for Anabelle to wake up. But, when she does, there just isn't enough divulging into the unanswered, miraculous aspects to truly pull me in. I am happy she is functioning and awake, but what about everything else?
A matter of fact novel exploring the human need to believe in something, whether miraculous, spiritual, or scientific. A guaranteed explanation is not one the reader will come across, and I can't figure out if that makes the book more or less successful. I think in our author taking a stand, we are able to decide whether we agree or disagree (our ending is met with a "things just happen" philosophy). In leaving the mysteries ambiguous, we either remain undecided (which occurred in my case), or take it upon ourselves to explore the topic further.
November 11, 2015
In 1999, there is a girl in a small town near L.A. in a coma (technically she’s suffering from a condition called akinetic mutism). People flock to her house just for a few minutes by her bedside. They say she can perform miracles, that she listens to them, that her room is alive,that she glows. They call her “The Miracle Girl”.
After I finished reading this book I did my customary Google search to get a picture of the cover. I found that this story is actually based on the real life of Audrey Santo. It’s kind of crazy to think that a lot of the things described in this book actually happened. Anyway, on to the review…
I thought the book was alright. It kept switching narrators which isn’t my favorite thing, but I admit sometimes it can be done right. I don’t really think this was one of those times. Even though the narrators kept changing, I never felt like the voice changed, if that makes sense. The writing was beautiful throughout–it had a very poetic flow to it. But it was the same poetic flow for John (the dad), Karen (the mom), Annabelle (the daughter), Linda (the PT person), Donald, Nathaniel, and all the other narrators. Because it all sounded like it was coming from the same person, I would have preferred it if the book had just one narrator.
That being said, the characters were very complex and you can’t help but wonder “What would I have done?” The ending was a little abrupt, but I still liked it. I liked the last section…or epilogue or whatever it was too. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I thought the author did a good job.
Overall, the book was just okay. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but it did have its moments.
Overall Rating: 2
Violence: None
Sexual Content: Moderate
Language: Heavy, but spread throughout so it never really feels heavy.
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
After I finished reading this book I did my customary Google search to get a picture of the cover. I found that this story is actually based on the real life of Audrey Santo. It’s kind of crazy to think that a lot of the things described in this book actually happened. Anyway, on to the review…
I thought the book was alright. It kept switching narrators which isn’t my favorite thing, but I admit sometimes it can be done right. I don’t really think this was one of those times. Even though the narrators kept changing, I never felt like the voice changed, if that makes sense. The writing was beautiful throughout–it had a very poetic flow to it. But it was the same poetic flow for John (the dad), Karen (the mom), Annabelle (the daughter), Linda (the PT person), Donald, Nathaniel, and all the other narrators. Because it all sounded like it was coming from the same person, I would have preferred it if the book had just one narrator.
That being said, the characters were very complex and you can’t help but wonder “What would I have done?” The ending was a little abrupt, but I still liked it. I liked the last section…or epilogue or whatever it was too. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I thought the author did a good job.
Overall, the book was just okay. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but it did have its moments.
Overall Rating: 2
Violence: None
Sexual Content: Moderate
Language: Heavy, but spread throughout so it never really feels heavy.
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 20, 2015
A very well written novel about belief that highlights how many of society's transactions rely upon our faith and desire to believe in them. Set against the backdrop of Y2K when rumors of apocalypse, falling planes and soon to be obsolete computers filled the news, a tragic accident turns a little girl into a focal point of hope and curiosity. Among the believers are the ill who want a cure, the mother who wants a happy, healthy child, lovers who want faithful and present partners and even a skeptic who wants to believe in the existence of irrefutable proof that will confirm the truth of their disbelief to the world. Though the characters are almost all excellently crafted, there are perhaps too many of them, and with so many narrative perspectives crowded into the novel, it is hard to get close enough to any of them to be fully drawn in emotionally. A scene with a man, Donald, and his wife who is diagnosed with cancer, is so beautifully drawn that I was disappointed when the story moves away from them. The emotional impact is also somewhat blunted by shifting timelines that drag the reader in and out of the moment, but this movement seems true to the way the numerous narrative brains would work together to craft the story.
June 20, 2015
Well well well. The Miracle Girl has an interesting concept, but gosh darn is it hard to finish. That's probably why I didn't.
The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe is one of those multi POV books that have a whole cast of characters comment or connect to one thing. In this book, a cast of characters all have one thing in common: a girl named Anabelle who's completely paralyzed and also believed to be a miracle worker. You hear from her parents, skeptical bloggers, her physical therapist, a priest, and even Annabelle herself. They're all inching towards this big climax that I never got to.
Notice how my summary is void of any plot points? That's because there is no plot in this novel, just a sense of wonder and mystery. Nothing drives this book forward and that's ultimately why I had to give it up.
Normally, a DNF book automatically gets two stars max from moi. But with The Miracle Girl, I didn't want to totally condemn it because the writing is entertaining, and the characters (the main ones at least) do have depth. It just so happens to be lacking in the story department, the one category that entertains me the most.
If you enjoy those kind of artsy novels that explore human nature and what not, The Miracle Girl might be for you. It just wasn't for me. 2.5/5 stars.
The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe is one of those multi POV books that have a whole cast of characters comment or connect to one thing. In this book, a cast of characters all have one thing in common: a girl named Anabelle who's completely paralyzed and also believed to be a miracle worker. You hear from her parents, skeptical bloggers, her physical therapist, a priest, and even Annabelle herself. They're all inching towards this big climax that I never got to.
Notice how my summary is void of any plot points? That's because there is no plot in this novel, just a sense of wonder and mystery. Nothing drives this book forward and that's ultimately why I had to give it up.
Normally, a DNF book automatically gets two stars max from moi. But with The Miracle Girl, I didn't want to totally condemn it because the writing is entertaining, and the characters (the main ones at least) do have depth. It just so happens to be lacking in the story department, the one category that entertains me the most.
If you enjoy those kind of artsy novels that explore human nature and what not, The Miracle Girl might be for you. It just wasn't for me. 2.5/5 stars.
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