Maybe a Miracle

A Novel

By: Brian Strause

Narrated by: Jesse Berns

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

In this disarming debut, Brian Strause has written a vastly entertaining novel about an American family transfixed by a series of mysterious events. From a comfortable suburb of Columbus, Ohio, emerges a story of rebellion, faith and hope, bridging the cultural gap between those who believe in miracles and those who wish they could.

Monroe Anderson–as quiet on the outside as he is sardonic and alive on the inside–has spent most of his eighteen years trying to fly beneath the radar. If he can remain invisible, he believes, his sadistic older brother, a rising golf star, might not torment him, his workaholic father, a renowned litigator, might not notice him long enough to be disappointed, and his mother might not have to struggle so hard to find a hopeful word. The only people who glimpse the real Monroe are his girlfriend, Emily, and his eleven-year-old sister, Annika. On the night of his senior prom, Monroe finds Annika floating facedown in the family pool. He dives in and rescues her, but not quickly enough to prevent her from slipping into a coma. As the family copes with this crisis, Monroe’s mother turns to religion, his father turns to liquor, and Monroe himself must decide what’s worth believing in, what’s worth fighting for, and, finally, who he wants to be.

By turns humorous and heartbreaking, personal and sweeping, familiar and extraordinary, Brian Strause’s mesmerizing novel takes listeners on an unforgettable emotional journey into America’s heartland.

©2005 Brian Strause (P)2005 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"As tender as a slow dance, as rebellious as a hip-hop song, and an uttery joy. Brian Strause manages to convince the reader that mere human life is the greatest sin and salvation--with room for belief, betrayal, the beneficence of baseball, folly, and forgiveness."--Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean and The Breakdown Lane

"Brian Strause's Maybe a Miracle starts out somewhere not far from J.D. Salinger's rye field, but it ends up in a new and strange and marvelous place where only this extraordinary first novelist could take it."--Madison Smartt Bell, author of The Stone that the Builder Refused

“Laugh-out-loud funny, provocative and unique.” —People

Good listen

I was very pleased with this book. The characters were believable and loving. It was worth the time and book credit. I'll be waiting for the next book by this author.

disappointing...

The book had potential but there's no plot at all! It's kinda like listening to an auto-biography. I was expecting a lot more (mainly because of the nice reviews) and the ending was NOT what I was expecting at all. It made the book worse in my opinion because it seemed kinda senseless and abrupt.

Also at times it was difficult to relate with the characters. With Monroe's constant sarcasm it was hard for me to feel sorry for him.

I gave 2 stars for Monroe (he's pretty funny) and Annika (their relationship is sweet) and last star because I managed to finish the book in 2 days.

maybe a miracle

great book!
very entertaining!