Reading guide for The Miracle Girl by Andrew Roe

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The Miracle Girl is a story largely about faith and belief. How did your own faith and belief affect how you read the novel?
2. Some readers have said they believed the miracles described in the book were real; some have said they didn't think they were real; and others have said it didn't matter to them either way. Did you feel like you had to make that decision as a reader? Which category did you fall into and why?
3. The author has said in interviews and in the essay that follows the novel that he's not religious. Does this surprise you? Does it change the way you view the novel?
4. The hunger for miracles to be real is timeless. But do you find that this hunger is even more pronounced in today's world?
5. People from different walks of life are drawn to Anabelle. Besides those who were ill and sought actual physical healing, what void do you think Anabelle was filling in people's lives? How was she able to help the various visitors? Do you think the author was also questioning a larger cultural void?
6. As word about Anabelle's miracles spread, more and more people showed up at the Vincent house, "all with their reasons, all with their doubts and certainties and everything in between" (page 134). Would you have visited Anabelle? If yes, what would be the reason for the visit?
7. The Miracle Girl takes place in the latter half of 1999,as the millennium approaches, amid the buzz and chatter of Y2K, computer crashes, and the end of the world. How does having the book set in this time period reflect its themes?
8. After the car accident, John leaves his family and embarks on a period of exile, wanting "to become a monk, and if not that, then at least be able to classify himself as monklike" (page 95). Throughout the course of the novel, do you feel like he was able to redeem himself? Can he ever redeem himself after abandoning his wife and child? Is he ultimately a sympathetic character or not?
9. Compare Anabelle before and after the accident. In what ways was she already different and isolated and set apart before she became "the Miracle Girl"?
10. Did Karen do the right thing by letting people into her house to see her daughter and spend time with her? Was she right to share her with the world? What would you have done?
11. Peter Ustinov once said, "Love is an act of endless forgive- ness." How does this quote and sentiment relate to the book, and in particular to Anabelle's parents, Karen and John? Why do you think Karen took John back? Were you surprised?
12. Discuss the role that the media and the Internet play in the telling of Anabelle's story. In what way is the book a commentary on how the media and the Internet pervade and even define our lives? With so much white noise out there, and with so much information and data coming at us and requiring our constant deciphering, how difficult is it to find something that you can truly believe in?
13. The Miracle Girl has a large cast of characters. Why do you think Roe decided to tell this story from multiple points of view? What does this add to the story? Would the novel have had the same impact if it was told from a singular point of view?
14. Most depictions of Los Angeles in books, TV shows, and movies feature the stereotypical L.A. of celebrities and air-brushed beaches. The part of L.A. in which this novel is set is a very different place. Roe has stated that he chose to set the book in suburban eastern Los Angeles not only because it's where he was born and raised, but also to give readers a more complete picture of L.A., which is such a diverse and varied area. Do you feel he succeeded? How did the setting contribute to the story?
15. The book certainly has some heavy and difficult subject matter, as well as plenty of tragedy and despair. But do you ultimately consider it a hopeful book? If so, why?
16. Were you surprised by the epilogue and getting to see Anabelle as an adult? Why do you think Roe chose to end the novel this way?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Algonquin Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.