Anatomy of a Miracle

A Novel*

By: Jonathan Miles

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A profound new novel about a paralyzed young man's unexplainable recovery - a stunning exploration of faith, science, mystery, and the meaning of life

Rendered paraplegic after a traumatic event four years ago, Cameron Harris has been living his new existence alongside his sister, Tanya, in their battered Biloxi, Mississippi, neighborhood where only half the houses made it through Katrina. One stiflingly hot August afternoon, as Cameron sits waiting for Tanya during their daily run to the Biz-E-Bee convenience store, he suddenly and inexplicably rises up and out of his wheelchair.

In the aftermath of this "miracle", Cameron finds himself a celebrity at the center of a contentious debate about what's taken place. And when scientists, journalists, and a Vatican investigator start digging, Cameron's deepest secrets - the key to his injury, to his identity, and, in some eyes, to the nature of his recovery - become increasingly endangered. Was Cameron's recovery a genuine miracle or a medical breakthrough? And, finding himself transformed into a symbol, how can he hope to retain his humanity?

Brilliantly written as closely observed journalistic reportage and filtered through a wide lens that encompasses the vibrant characters affected by Cameron's story, Anatomy of a Miracle will be championed and celebrated as a powerful story of our time and the work of a true literary master.

©2018 Jonathan Miles (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Funny, bighearted...Miles specializes in giving fully rounded humanity to characters who might elsewhere be treated as stock figures...pitch-perfect.” (New York Times Book Review)

"Jonathan Miles's masterful new novel Anatomy of a Miracle documents the slo-mo explosion of an attention-grabbing event with trompe l'oeil flourishes.... Miles is a writer so virtuosic that readers will feel themselves becoming better, more observant people from reading him.... Part of why Anatomy feels so expansive is that Miles takes every opportunity to delve into the characters' backstories...but this keen interest in people is part and parcel of a book in which the author describes humans as 'extraordinary' at least three times. In Miles's world, everyone - not just the people shouting loudest on the internet - is worthy of attention." (Los Angeles Review of Books)

"The impossible happens in...Jonathan Miles's latest novel, Anatomy of a Miracle. But it's what occurs before the astonishing event and what unspools after that will break open hearts and imaginations.... Miles's powerful prose nudges readers to seek the soft spots between faith and judgment, story and science, and fact and fiction." (CJ Lotz, Garden & Gun)

We See What We Want to See

Really fantastic.

Told as if a narrative nonfiction account, this novel explores issues of faith--in religion, in science, in love, in other people--from the perspective of a narrator who is decidedly not omniscient.

What would you do if you witnessed something that appeared to be a miracle? Would you accept it as that? Or dismiss it as a scientific anomaly for which no explanation has yet been proposed? Or would you try to profit it and make the entire situation about yourself? All these questions and more are explored with humor, compassion and an eye that somehow combines cynicism and idealism. I quite literally laughed and cried at various intervals throughout this novel.

How wonderful.

Insightful

The book was a great exploration of how various people would react to a miracle. It was a bit depressing to see how so many different people would try to fit the event into their pre-conceived notions—even when the facts and character of Cameron did not fit their “beliefs.” I am glad that the storytelling father of the doctor brought some clarity to this at the end.

The story would be a great example if Karl Barth’s theology. Barth was an influential Protestant theologian from the early 20th century who spoke against a tendency for evangelical Christians to “make God in their image.” To Barth, God was always omnipotent and surprising; if you thought you had God all figured out, you were no longer looking at God.

I thought that the transition from the miracle activities (after) to the lengthy discussion of Cameron’s sexuality was a bit jarring. I loved the war stories and the conversations with DeMarcus, and eventually the sexuality “tangent” became clear.

amazing

The best book I've read in a long time and I was not expecting it. The author did a superb job in recounting this story. The writing was graceful, perfectly paced, and masterful in its revealing. This was a story I couldn't "out down".

Expected it to be better.

Only a small portion of this book was actually interesting, to my disappointment. Lots of fluff and filler.

Living with unanswerable questions

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are an odd and delightful confusion of saint and sinner. It explores profound questions of faith without offering pat answers. And best, love shines where least expected. Highly recommended.

Ending disappointing

Narrator was excellent. Story thought provoking, descriptions painted vivid picture of events as they unfold. Characters & dialogue believable. Ending was disappointing for me.

loved

great character development and writing. the story draws you in to the lives of this small town.

Fantastic Narrartion

Really excellent narration with a bevvy of different accents and affectations that made each character unique. This added so much to the story. Beautiful writing, heavy on detail. But absolutely worth the listen.

Astoundingly good

Mark Twain might blush with pride
if he could see a son of the south tackle issues of sex, religion, politics and war in such an intelligent and irreverent way, depending on how you tune your ears. The performance is top notch, subtle, supple, believable but never over the top. Time well spent.

Thought Provoking and Interesting

This book was both what I expected and unexpected. I don’t always read reviews before selecting a book to read in order to avoid spoilers, so I was not expecting the sexual aspect of this book. *Spoiler alert, Cameron is gay* The author starts out in vivid detail setting the scene of what appears to be a miracle - a man having severed his spinal cord four years ago is now able to walk again unexpectedly. The expected part of this book was everyone trying to analyze this so called miracle and/or debunk it and how this event touched each of the people surrounding Cameron. The journalistic approach introduced several people that at first glance didn’t seem relevant but in the end tied into each other. It truly was an interesting read and I will definitely give it another listen at a later date to pick up anything I missed. As with religion, politics, and life, you don’t always agree with everyone and this author did a great job of weaving hard topics into this story. This book would be a good choice for a reading group that likes to debate such subjects. The narrator had a fantastic voice for this book, although I had to play the audio at 1.5 to 1.75 speed, however, some people might enjoy the slower southern pace.