Review: Miracle

By Elizabeth Scott
Available now from Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)
Review copy

I have heard nothing but good things about Elizabeth Scott.  Every time one of her books comes out, it seems like every blogger has nothing but good things to say about it.  I always make a note to pick up one of her books, yet I never had.  MIRACLE may be Scott's eleventh novel, but it's my first time reading one of her books.  And I feel guiltier than ever for putting it off so long.

MIRACLE is what people call Megan.  Megan walked away from a plane crash that left everybody else aboard dead.  They'd already told her parents she was dead by the time she emerged.  No one can do anything but stare at her and wonder, and talk about what a miracle it was she survived.  No one notices that Megan feels like the exact opposite of a miracle.  Except for Margaret, an old church lady, David, her brother, and Joe, the boy next door.

The characterization in MIRACLE is amazing.  You can't hate anyone for not noticing Megan's trauma.  Her parents are blinded by their relief and joy.  And while it's tough to see Megan act numb or hateful or haunted, her point of view remains absorbing throughout the story.  I rooted for her to survive and get the help she needed.  Fortunately, Margaret and Joe do see her before she really hits the downward slope.  David, meanwhile, sees her but reacts in the manner of a younger brother who can't understand why his parents are acting so differently.

MIRACLE is emotionally draining.  I cried, just a little, a couple of times while reading.  But in the end it's a cathartic experience.  I'm not the biggest fan of sad books, but MIRACLE is lovely.  It's a story of trauma, guilt, shame, and healing, beautifully told.  Count me among Scott's many fans.  (And I promise to read her other books.  Eventually.)