The Wonder

Content Warning: This chapter contains depictions of an eating disorder.

Wright wakes after dreaming of soldiers crying out for tobacco during the Crimean War. She opens her copy of Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing and sees a random passage about women being more observant and careful than men. Wright vows to be even more exacting in her watch.

When she arrives at the O’Donnells’ house, the kitchen is empty. Wright observes a dozen chickens with freshly laid eggs locked in the kitchen, and wonders if Anna has been eating the eggs and shells. She also observes a saucer filled with milk; when Wright confronts Rosaleen and the maid, Kitty, they explain that the saucer is an offer for little people (fairies) who would otherwise disrupt the household.

When Anna wakes up, Rosaleen runs in to greet her daughter and pray with her while Malachy speaks to Wright about the walls of the house. Wright is immediately suspicious, wondering if Malachy is creating a distraction while his wife sneaks food to their daughter. Wright chastises Rosaleen and insists that she and Malachy are not allowed to be alone with Anna during the course of the nurses’ watch. Rosaleen is visibly disturbed. Wright asks Anna about her sleep, and Anna responds by quoting the Bible. Wright performs another physical examination, and notes some gurgling in Anna’s stomach. They spend the morning reading: Wright from A Tale of Two Cities and Anna from her prayer books.

In the afternoon, Wright takes Anna around the farmyard to get fresh air. She notes that Anna has a halting gait, and struggles during the walk. Wright teaches Anna riddles, which she picks up quickly. When they arrive at the cabin, Rosaleen announces that visitors have come to see Anna. Although Wright initially resists, the visitors—two Irish spiritualists and two Americans—are allowed into the girl’s bedroom. When the visitors question her, Anna explains that she is surviving off of manna from heaven. Wright is unfamiliar with the biblical reference. The visitors give Anna two gifts: a pair of so-called chicken skin gloves, and a toy that produced an optical illusion of a bird escaping a cage. Before leaving the cabin, Wright confronts Sister Michael and makes her agree to report anything Anna eats or excretes, and to keep her parents from spending time alone with her.

Wright returns to the spirit grocery to eat, but can’t bear to stay inside. She visits Dr. McBrearty to share her concerns about Anna’s swollen legs and Sister Michael’s age. Dr. McBrearty explains that Sister Michael served for 12 years in Dublin’s Charitable Infirmary, and that, as a nun, she has experience waking early and staying up late for prayers. He seems unconcerned about Anna’s legs, and Wright loses faith in his medical expertise. At Wright’s insistence, he writes a note to the O’Donnells’ insisting that visitors be banned.

Walking back to the spirit grocery, Wright is surprised to see a hawthorn tree with thin strips of fabric tied to the branches. When she arrives, she meets William Byrne, a young Irish reporter sent by the Irish Times to investigate Anna’s claims. Wright reads over his drafts, but does not reveal her identity as Anna’s nurse.

At nine in the evening, Wright arrives for her first evening shift with Anna. Sister Michael reports that Anna drank three spoonfuls of water during the day and took a short walk. She agrees to tell Wright if she sees anything suspicious. Wright tells Sister Michael about Anna’s claim to be living off manna from heaven; Sister Michael says that it is a reference to Exodus, but does not explain. After Anna is asleep, Wright looks through Anna’s prayer book and saint cards, familiarizing herself with Anna’s faith. She notices that Anna’s Madonna and Child candlestick is hollow, and breaks it open to see if there is food inside it. She finds a small lock of hair wrapped in paper. In the morning, Sister Michael returns with a bible and explains to Wright that manna is a dew-like substance that fed the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert with Moses. Wright returns to the spirit grocery, exhausted.

During her next long day shift, Wright grows restless in the stuffy O’Donnell cabin. Interruptions from visitors lead her to put a sign on the door insisting that no one even attempt to enter. Wright realizes that the watch has lasted for three full days, and that Anna truly has not eaten in that time. She begins to suspect that Anna had been eating food prior to the nurses’ arrival, but that their careful watch is now actually keeping her from eating. When Wright asks Anna about menstruation, Anna reveals that her gums are bleeding; Wright takes this as a sign of scurvy, further evidence that Anna is experiencing malnutrition. Wright is suddenly interrupted by Dr. Standish, an English doctor who has received special permission from Dr. McBrearty to examine Anna. Standish is harsh and demanding, ordering Wright to strip Anna naked for the examination and chemically fumigate the home. He dismisses Anna’s situation as a case of “hysteria,” and suggests that Wright force-feed Anna. When he leaves, Wright urges Anna to eat; Anna responds that she doesn’t need food.

When she returns to the spirit grocery, Wright is confronted by Byrne, who has learned that she is Anna’s nurse. She agrees to discuss the case with him in exchange for Byrne’s promise to leave the family alone. He is shocked to hear that Wright has been called in to prevent Anna from eating, calling the situation “barbaric.” Byrne confirms her suspicions that Anna might actually be starving. Wright realizes that Anna truly believes she has survived without food for months, and desperately needs her help.