Synopsis

In 1830 a young novice called Catherine Labouré was granted a vision of the Virgin Mary. Nearly 200 years later, Sister Anne is also waiting for a sign.

Which is why she accepts a mission to go to a tiny community on an island just off the coast of Brittany. Her only companion there is a sceptical, chain-smoking older nun who just wants to be left in peace.

On the island she meets Hugo, the son of a devout family who prefers to look for the meaning of life amid the stars; Madenn, a grandmother whose daughter was killed in a crash and who finds meaning in routine; Isaac, Madenn’s grandson, an otherworldly teenager who doesn’t fit in but who befriends Hugo, and Julia, a sickly child. If anyone needs a miracle, it is her.

But it is not Sister Anne who receives a vision. Instead it is Isaac who is found on a promontory, transfixed, unable to utter more than the words ‘I see’. The event soon becomes headline news and the world descends on the small island, opening old wounds and unleashing a chain of events none of them could have foreseen.

Review

What a beautifully written book. Mas’s prose is exquisite and as a whole, the author sweeps you up in its surreal storytelling.

While it is beautiful, it is a slow burner. No doubt this is intentional due to the subject matter, but it lacks substance, making it hard to remain interested. There is not enough time to get to know any of the characters, so we cannot relate to them, nor empathise with their situation. Themes of religion dominate the story, with those of family and grief lost, which is a shame.

Although this is an island community, it seems a little unlikely that everyone would immediately believe a young boy who has seen a vision. Until I read the synopsis, it was also not clear that Isaac was Madenn’s grandson, which seems an unnecessary plot point.

The ending is rushed and not entirely clear; it feels a letdown considering the fact that the author has asked us to suspend belief and open our minds, all for the ending to rely on nature. Perhaps the moral is that no matter what we believe in and whom we pray, nature is always the most powerful thing in this world and none of us should forget that.

Thanks to Doubleday for my advance copy. Opinions my own.