Maybe A Miracle by Brian Strause

Maybe A Miracle by Brian Strause

I was first drawn to Maybe A Miracle by Brian Strause because on the cover of the book there was a quote by (my personal favourite) author Jodi Picoult praising the book. On reading the back cover of the book I discovered many similarities between this particular book and a book by Jodi Picoult called Keeping Faith (the first book I read by Jodi Picoult). Words such as miracles, sainthood and healing jumped out at me making me want to read the story encapsulated between the covers of the book.

Inside the book there are three reviews or praise for the book/story – one from Jodi Picoult that instantly caught my eye and one from the Boston Globe. All three reviews give high praise to the author for his work. Brian Strause is a first time author and one wonders how he will follow up such a fantastic book, which features such a brilliant mix of emotion, humour and narration.

This book offers a light and refreshing look at religion and the mysteries that surround acts that can only be described as miracles. The book is written as if the story is being told through Monroe, a teenage boy who is struggling to fit into society and his very own family. Monroe cleverly jumps from telling the reader about present day life in his somewhat upside down family to events that have formed his life so far and for added measure he mixes in some of his hopes for the future.

Maybe A Miracle is about a family tragedy. The tragedy is a swimming accident that leaves Monroe’s sister in a comma and then in a vegative state for several years. The way the story is written it is hard to believe that several years have passed by from the time of the accident to present day. The ease of the narration makes the book a joy to read.

Monroe is off to his high school prom something his younger sister Annika has been helping him to prepare for over a period of weeks. She is more excited than he is he tells us. Monroe is nervous about the evening and decides a quick smoke is in order to ‘survive’ the night. On his way to the pool house he discovers his sister, Annika, face down in the swimming pool not breathing. It appears she has hit her head on the diving board. Monroe performs CPR and Annika is rushed to the local hospital. Monroe becomes something of a reluctant hero for saving Annika’s life.

Annika is in a comma we are told and what we proceed to learn about her character we learn via Monroe’s recollections of her and the life they have shared together whilst growing up. Annika is portrayed by Monroe as the little sister everyone would love to have. She is kind and caring, funny and friendly. It is obvious that Monroe dotes on his younger sister and that she is his life line in their somewhat messed up family.

The family in Monroe’s words is a bit of a sham. His father hides his emotions behind his work and uses it as a place to run away to. His mother almost appears lost and without identity until the accident when she seems to blossom submerging herself in Annika’s treatment and care. Along the way she becomes obsessed with religion and faith. Ben, the evil older brother, acts nonchalant as usual and continues to bully Monroe as he has done throughout his life. Monroe continues his day to day life wondering if he is the only one who can see things clearly.

Other extended members of the family descend on the house, finding out by chance that Annika is in a comma. Monroe comments that once a relation died and he only found out about it by accident months later. ‘It is like that in our family’ he says. ‘People carry on as if nothing has happened and then when it’s discovered they act like they did mention it and maybe you forgot or they meant to tell you but never quite got around to it.’ Monroe’s grand father, lonely and alone sets up camp in their home. He becomes a permanent feature, something that does not go down too well with certain members of the family. Annika’s condition does however give their grand father a new lease of life and a reason to be happy once more. Monroe tells us that his grand father was caught in a compromising position with one of the ladies who came to see Annika.

Monroe seems a likeable character that doesn’t have the best of luck in life. His older brother Ben bullies him, his father ignores him unless he does something wrong and girls tend to brush him aside usually as he gets tongue tied around them. Monroe does have a girlfriend at the start of the book, an attractive girl called Emily but the offer of a trip abroad tempts her to leave Monroe. Whilst away she meets and falls in love with Billy. Interestingly Emily plays a permanent role in the story and features right up until the end of the book. Although she abandoned Monroe he still seems smitten with her. He hides his sadness at their break up under congratulations on her new life and romance with Billy. I am not totally sure that Monroe ever got over the end of his relationship with Emily although during the course of the book he did move forwards as far as his relationships with girls went.

Monroe appears to have something of a life changing event when he spontaneously has sex with a girl who is dying of Leukaemia and has come to see Annika to be healed. This lack of self restraint is a complete change in character for Monroe and perhaps is the first sign that he is maturing into a young man.

The main part of the story focuses on Annika and the so called miracles she performs from her hospital bed – rose petals fall from the sky, the face of Jesus appears in a rust pattern on the wall of the hospital and people start to claim that Annika is healing them of all sorts of illnesses and diseases. Monroe doesn’t seem to be bothered by these so called miracles even though crowds of people flock to the hospital to pray for Annika the so called ‘miracle girl’. His mother desperate for something to cling onto submerges herself into the hysteria that follows Annika’s so called miracles. Monroe’s father hides away at work.

Eventually when the hospital can do no more for Annika she is offered a place in a local care home. Her body functions are normal but Annika is in a world of her own. In one part of the book she is compared to sleeping beauty. Their mother wont here of Annika going into a home. She needs stimulation to bring her back to life, if she goes into a home that’s it, the end. She might as well be dead. So Annika and her entourage come home. A make shift ward is set up in the living room. The crowds of well wishers and sick who believe that Annika can heal them follow her home and set up camp outside her home. Annika becomes a fish in a glass bowl being constantly pointed at by hundreds of one lookers all keen to get their piece of her. She stops being Annika the person and becomes Annika the commodity. She is a marketing product that everyone wants to get their hands on.

Annika starts to bleed from her hands – stigmata. It doesn’t just happen once; it happens time and time again. According to those of a religious persuasion this is Annika replicating Jesus on the cross. His suffering is her suffering. The bleeding or stigmata freaks the family out but draws even more sick and ill people to the house to witness this great event.

For me one of the excellent qualities of this charming book was that what could have been heavy subject matter was handled with ease in a light and fluffy manner. Incidences of stigmata and other miracles were brushed over as if every day occurrences. Where as in Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (a book also about faith and miracles) we are told the process someone has to go through to authenticate these so called miracles, how easy it is to fake miracles and how often what the outside world sees as a miracle others will prove as some form of abuse. In this particular book by Brian Strauss we are basically left to make up our own minds about what is going on and what we want to believe. No one seems in that great a hurry to authenticate what is happening although in one scene Monroe is questioned almost interrogated to discover if he is behind the bleeding incidents. He is asked if he is cutting Annika’s hands to fabricate a miracle. In another scene later in the book Monroe slashes his own hands and makes them bleed to gain attention as he feels the only way to gain attention at home is to be special. Monroe is at first sceptical of the miracles that are happening but when his sister’s hands start to bleed for no reason even he starts to question what is going on. At the end of the book we come to learn that the bleeding caused Annika a lot of pain and it was not a pleasant experience for her. She does not feel special and she wonders how God could put her through such pain and suffering.

Monroe seems to be the only ‘normal’ family member in this book plodding through daily life as best he can under the circumstances. As everyone else’s life falls apart he seems to be the only one moving forward. He completes high school, has a job of sorts and gets himself a new girlfriend called Alison.

Alison brings with her another tragedy, which in many ways helps Monroe to come to terms with what has happened to his sister and to put things however grim into some kind of perspective. Alison’s sister was murdered, bashed over the head and left for dead in a local ditch. Her family fell apart after the murder and her father left. Her mother is a little crazy and locks herself away in the house. The murderer was never caught. Alison tells Monroe that he is lucky. His sister is still alive. At first I don’t think Monroe feels lucky at all Annika maybe alive but she is not the sister he once knew and loved. This version of his sister needs to wear a nappy as she can’t control her bowels and she lies like a rag doll in a hospital bed day after day. Her only form of communication is blinking her eyes for yes and no. In time however he not only finds himself falling head over heels in love he also realises that while Annika is still breathing there is hope. Alison does not have that luxury her sister is dead and will never come back to life. By the end of the story we discover that Alison’s sister was murdered by the policeman investigating her death. One last cruel blow to an already devastated and torn apart family.

Annika shows no real sign of recovery although her mother treats her like she is awake and part of a normal family once again. She takes her for walks in the wheelchair and sits her down at the table for meals. At first Monroe finds this a bit hard to stomach but as the story unfolds even he takes her out in her wheelchair. He does it to get her away from the continuous religious readings she is forced to endure day after day via headphones.

Monroe’s father decides enough is enough and after being caught by Monroe having an affair he tries to kill himself. This is a very interesting development, which sees the demographics of the family alter enormously in a very short space of time. We suddenly see the strongest member of the family unit as a weak and pathetic man who feels he cannot go on anymore. Of course he survives the attempt, which Monroe tells us was more of a cry for help than a real attempt on his life but he is never the same man again. He like his wife suddenly finds God and this seems to give him a renewed strength as he sets about suing anyone he can in relation to Annika’s accident.

During the story we do see a reversal of roles take place between Monroe and his father. At the start of the book Monroe never lives up to his father’s expectations and he does not have a good relationship with him as a result but by the end of the book Monroe gains the respect of his father by standing up to him and speaking his mind. There is one scene towards the end of the book where Monroe and his father hug. Monroe says it is the first time in his life that he truly feels loved by his father. For me that scene says everything about their father/son relationship. Monroe, now a man and out working, has to wait until adulthood to feel loved by his father. Perhaps this lack of love helps to illustrate Monroe’s failings in life?

Ben who we are told by Monroe is constantly drunk gets drunk once too often and badly breaks both of his arms falling from a roof. This puts his golfing career in jeopardy but also turns him into a much nicer person. He changes from a bully into a well mannered man who actually apologies to Monroe for the grief he has given him over the years. Again it takes a serious accident for Ben and Monroe to form any kind of bond and for a civil conversation to take place. Monroe has spent his life in the shadows afraid of Ben but by the end of the book Monroe gains respect from Ben and they become equals. It is also noted that Ben’s injuries heal very quickly and he is a better golfer after the accident than he was before. This change in fortune is attributed to Annika and her healing powers.

It is obvious from the start of the story that this family is very unstable and falling apart. It takes Annika’s accident to finally pull the family apart but at the same time it seems that the family needs to fall apart to repair itself and that by destroying everything that was once good maybe they can wipe the slate clean and begin again from scratch? Perhaps this is one of Annika’s miracles?

Throughout the story I am struck by three main things: firstly that life goes on, which I will explain further in a minute, secondly how easy it is for a person to become an object and to lose their identity and thirdly that some times a good outcome or what you wish for isn’t always as good as you think it is going to be once it happens as I feel was the case in this book.

Life goes on – what do I mean by that? There is one scene in the book that sums up that phrase perfectly. Monroe tells us that Annika bled today. He says ‘not from her hands but she had her first period’. He goes on to tell us that she is now a woman. I guess that this incident really opened my eyes to Annika’s plight. There she was unable to speak, unable to feed herself or go to the toilet yet she was still able to make the transition from a girl into a woman and start having periods. It reminded the reader that although Annika was nothing more than a vegetable to look at she was still very much alive. In many ways it perhaps emphasised the cruelty of the situation. Here was a girl alive yet dangling on the very edge of life by a thin thread. Not really alive not really dead. Kind of in limbo.

It did not take long for people to stop seeing Annika as a person and to start seeing her as an object. It wasn’t just the crowds of people flocking to see Annika for her healing powers that were to blame even her own mother began to see her as an object rather than her daughter. I guess she got so wrapped up in the moment that she lost track of reality. Monroe commented that Annika had become nothing more than an animal at the zoo, trapped in a cage and pointed at by thousands of visitors. At home Annika was sealed into the living room with a window allowing visitors to stop and stare at her. Near to the end of the book Annika is taken to a service to commemorate the anniversary of the first time she bled from her hands. She is taken in a purpose build hut, which Monroe describes as a glorified shed. She has to be protected from the germs the sick people coming to see her bring with them. At the last anniversary service Annika got sick and this was blamed on the germs of the people at the service. Monroe cannot stand to see his sister paraded round like some exhibit at a freak show. He feels people are taking advantage of her and that if she were able to speak for herself she would not tolerate this spectacle. In truth that is all Annika has become. People have become so convinced that she is a messenger from God that they have stopped seeing a girl who is trapped in a living nightmare.

Monroe kidnaps Annika from the church service in her hut. He just wants to protect her from the circus that has built up around her since the accident. Looking at so many people all clamouring to see his sister, listening to rock bands who have formed in Annika’s name and sing songs about her healing powers and listening to stories from those Annika has so say healed pushes Monroe over the edge and for once he does something about his feelings. In one scene he says that ordinarily listening to the songs the rock band was singing would make him want to stick a fork in his hand.

Monroe takes Annika to a Reds game where she is accidentally hit in the head with a stray ball. The blow to the head brings Annika out of her vegative state and she is miraculously able to speak and walk once again. Instead of rushing home to celebrate this good fortune the two spend time together catching up. Monroe states that ‘it is not what he expected’. Once home the family at first seem thrilled that Annika is well once more but with her recovery there is a void in their lives that cannot be filled. Suddenly the star attraction is no longer a star.

Throughout the book Monroe has only wanted one thing and that is for his sister to recover and be herself again. Being unconscious for so long a lot has changed when Annika wakes up and she has missed several years of her life. Before the accident Monroe and Annika were not only brother and sister they were also the best of friends. Once Annika is awake it isn’t long before she is spreading her wings and the once tight relationship they shared seems to be fraying around the edges. At the very end of the book Monroe gets a visit from Annika. She wants to ask him some questions about sex and boys, which makes Monroe very uncomfortable. Gone is his baby sister, the one he watched over for months on end while she lay in a comma. She has been replaced by a young woman who has an interest in boys and sex. The last scene in the book has Monroe watching Annika drive away and out of sight. Perhaps this is a good euphemism for their relationship now. Annika is free and Monroe has lost her to adult hood.

I get the impression from reading the last few pages of the book that Monroe is perhaps a little sour about how things turned out. He had been used to Annika always by his side. When she was unwell he was always there for her, always by her side and now when she is fit and well again he has lost her. Maybe he wishes she was still in the comma, still his little sister. I think he expected things to resume where they left off when Annika awoke but that was not the case. Life had carried on and Monroe so blinded by his love for his sister seemed to forget that.

I think that this book is very clever and that Brian Strause has carefully moulded together a simple tale that on the surface doesn’t seem too deep but the more you think about the content of the book and the outcome of the story you are left with many questions. Although this was a book with a happy ending it wasn’t really a happy ending for all the protagonists in the book and I think that is the real message in this story. In this instance happiness for one did not necessarily equal happiness for all.