Lib Wright, a nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, journeys to a small village in Ireland to take on a two-week case. Her assumption that she is being hired by a wealthy family that can afford to bring a nurse out from England turns out to be false. She has been hired by a committee to observe Anna O’Donnell, an eleven-year-old who has reportedly not eaten for months. Her job is to make sure whether the girl is actually eating or not.
At first, Lib suspects that Anna is perpetrating a hoax, but slowly she realizes that the deeply religious girl believes she is living on manna from heaven. Still, she finds the people of the village steeped in ignorance and superstition, the local doctor incompetent, and her employers with a vested interest in a miracle. Her only confidante becomes someone she shouldn’t even be talking to—William Byrne, a journalist.
As Anna shows unmistakable signs of starvation and imminent death, Lib eventually finds out what is going on, but no one believes her. Suspense builds as you wonder whether and how Lib will be able to save Anna.
For me, this was a surprisingly good book. I didn’t think I would enjoy it based on the subject matter, and later, I could not imagine how it would end. It has a great deal of psychological depth and often feels like a mystery.
What? Me Read? 
I’m excited for this one — I love Donoghue!
Yes, when I read what this one was about, I didn’t think I would like it, but I did, very much.
I’m glad you liked this one so much. Now you’ve read a book from the 2016 Giller prize shortlist!
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ending, but other than that, I loved it.
Well, that was an accident. But cool! I liked the ending. In fact, I think that’s why I liked the book so much.
Which did you enjoy more, this or Forgetten Garden?
I wouldn’t have thought to compare them, but of the two, I’d have to pick The Forgotten Garden.
I’ve started to read this one twice, but never got very far (not because of the book itself). I just saw that the library got this as audio now, so I’ll try listening to it once it becomes available. I do want to know what happens. 🙂
I hope you like it!
I’m glad you enjoyed this. It didn’t sound very appealing to me either, but I liked it much more than I thought I would. The mystery element was stronger than I’d expected.
Yes, I thought what was going on was pretty interesting.
This book just showed up on some list somewhere – 200 difficult books or something. Sounds interesting…
I didn’t think it was difficult.