The Wonder

Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of an eating disorder.

Lib Wright, an English nurse, arrives in the small, rural Irish town of Athlone via train. As she rides in a cart away from the station, Wright’s guide tells her that they are in the exact middle of the country. She is unimpressed by the bleak, muddy landscape and rough-looking homes. Wright is unsure about the purpose of her visit, knowing only that she has been hired for two weeks by the O’Donnell family, who she assumes must be rich.

When she reaches the center of town, Wright is brought to a spirit grocery (inn/pub) where she meets Dr. McBrearty, the O’Donnells’ physician. After questioning Wright about her experiences as a nurse under Florence Nightingale, McBrearty explains that she has been hired to watch over young Anna O’Donnell, who claims not to have eaten in four months. She will report her findings to a local committee which has been organized to investigate Anna’s claims. Wright is immediately suspicious of the situation and Dr. McBrearty, who believes Anna’s claim. Wright suspects he has hired her because of her reputation as a Nightingale, which will add legitimacy to the committee’s investigation.

The next morning, Wright walks to the O’Donnells’ house with Father Thaddeus, the local village priest, and Sister Michael, an Irish nurse who has been hired to watch Anna alongside Wright. Like Wright, Sister Michael has medical experience, having served with the Sisters of Mercy, a religious institute emphasizing service. Sister Michael and Father Thaddeus explain certain aspects of Catholic faith—such as fasting, and the absolution of sins—to Wright, who is unfamiliar with and suspicious of what she sees as Catholic superstition. Wright begins to worry that Sister Michael’s faith might prevent her from exposing what Wright believes to be a fraud. She learns that the O’Donnells have a son, Pat, who is described as absent: She assumes that he has emigrated, like many young Irish people.

When they arrive at the O’Donnell house, Wright realizes that they are not rich, and that Dr. McBrearty and the committee members are paying her salary, not the family. The four-room house is dark and shabby, with a thatched roof and walls made of mud. The group is greeted by Anna’s mother, Rosaleen O’Donnell, who explains that her daughter is in the good room praying with visitors. As Father Thaddeus and Rosaleen catch up, Wright carefully studies the home, looking for possible hiding places for food. She asks Rosaleen questions about Anna’s childhood and recent refusal to eat, and discovers that Rosaleen believes her daughter is being kept alive through divine intervention. As Anna’s visitors leave, they add money, ostensibly for the poor, to a locked box by the O’Donnells’ front door. Wright wonders if the family actually plans to donate the money, or if Anna’s behavior is part of a money-making scheme.

Wright and Sister Michael establish an eight-hour schedule, switching shifts at nine in the evening, five in the morning, and one in the afternoon so that Anna can be watched at all hours of the day. Wright volunteers for the first shift so that she can ensure Sister Michael doesn’t speak to the girl and influence her first. She introduces herself to Anna, a small, shy girl, and conducts a thorough physical examination, taking all of Anna’s measurements and searching her for any trace of food. She notices soft, fine, colorless down on Anna’s cheeks and arms, and observes that her legs and feet are swollen. As Wright conducts the examination, Anna prays softly to herself; Wright can’t make out any words except the name Dorothy. She wonders if Anna is praying to a saint.

Wright thoroughly cleans Anna’s room according to the principles she learned while working under Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. As she cleans, she searches Anna’s room for any evidence that she or another member of her household is hiding food. The room is filled with religious artifacts, such as a statue of the Virgin Mary, wax medallions blessed by the pope, and a prayer book which Anna has filled with cards dedicated to individual saints. Wright was baptized in the Anglican church but is not personally religious. She asks Anna if she has a favorite saint. Anna replies that they all have different lessons to teach, and that God can pick anyone to be holy.

Anna’s father, Malachy O’Donnell, enters the room and announces that a photographer has come to take Anna’s picture for an article in a newspaper. Wright, who is increasingly suspicious of the family, takes this as confirmation that they are using Anna in order to gain fame for themselves and their village. After Anna’s photo is taken, Wright suggests that they go on a walk. Anna is visibly exhausted by the short outing, but spends her time naming flowers for Wright and reciting Bible verses. Wright and Anna return home and spend the afternoon in the house: Wright reads from Nightingale’s book Notes On Nursing while Anna reorganizes the cards in her prayer book.

Sister Michael arrives to relieve Wright as the O’Donnell family begins their evening prayers. The family invites Sister Michael to join their prayers, and Wright agrees to wait while she does. Sister Michael and the family pray on their knees for over 15 minutes while Wright watches, shocked and confused by this demonstration of faith. Afterward, as she leaves the house, Wright regrets not taking a moment to speak to Sister Michael in private and urge her to not take her eyes off Anna. She determines to talk to Dr. McBrearty about the family’s unsanitary conditions. As she walks home, Wright reflects on how little she knows about Anna’s situation, the Catholic faith, and the entire nation of Ireland.