A Miraculous Read from Jonathan Miles

My sister keyed me in to "Anatomy of a Miracle" by Jonathan Miles and thank goodness she did because I haven't read one word about it on any of the many newsletters and blogs I follow. I often wonder how it is that so much junk, including the book I'm suffering through right now, "The Woman in the Window," manages to stay on the New York Times bestseller list for ages when superb pieces of literature like Miles' latest novel don't make the cut.

Miles' previous novel, "Dear American Airlines," (which I'm placing a hold on right now) garnered kudos from all the usual suspects. It seems that Miles has a penchant for witty humor and subtle sarcasm. I found him to be a kind writer, taking care with each of the flawed characters in this totally surprising, beautifully written book.

Set in Biloxi, Mississippi, during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the story revolves around Cameron Harris, an Afghan war veteran confined to a wheelchair after an IED explosion tore through his spinal cord, and his devoted sister and caregiver Tanya. Every day Tanya pushes Cam up the road to the Biz-E-Bee, a rag tag convenience store barely holding on, where they stock up on beer and butts.

An aimless, initially unsympathetic figure, Cam waits in his chair in the parking lot thinking no further ahead than his first beer of the day, when a powerful bout of nausea overwhelms him. As it subsides, he finds that his body feels different. He gingerly rises from four years in a wheelchair and takes a few steps, then a few more. Fear, confusion, and disbelief stumble around in Cam's head as the townspeople declare a miracle straight from the redeemer and his VA physician, Janice Lorimar-Cuevas, works round the clock to find a medical reason that will explain the unexplainable.

Miles does a fantastic job of showing how the life of this community is irrevocably changed as pilgrims from around the country flock to the Biz-E-Bee hoping to touch the spot where Cameron walked, or better yet, touch him. The more the media tugs at Cameron the more he recedes from view. A lapsed Catholic who doubted the existence of God, he wrestles with the why me questions, until a Hollywood mogul arrives on his doorstep with a sales pitch that sounds too good to be true.

Jonathan Miles' brilliance is in his ability to create characters of true depth. There isn't one "secondary" person in this story full of people. Each is important to the whole. Especially poignant are the Vietnamese owners of the convenience store who struggle with a mix of guilt and opportunism at their sudden good fortune, and the formidable Mrs. Eulalie Dooley, who's watched Tanya and Cam grow from baby to adulthood and now believes that Cam's direct line to God will protect her grandson from the fate of so many young African American men.

But most impressive and key to the story is Demarkus Lockwood, Cam's friend and platoon leader back in Afghanistan, whose legs were blown off in the same IED incident, and Euclide Abbascia, the Vatican lawyer investigating the so-called miracle, whose patience and kindness have stayed with me days after finishing this remarkable book.

The compatibility of science and faith, the horror and futility of war, the long term effects of grief and loneliness, the sustaining strength of family, and the redeeming power of love are all front and center here. If you're a reader who enjoys a novel that poses the big questions and refuses to answer them then this one is for you.