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Miracoli
Lungo la spirale del tempo e delle vite, le storie di Edward e Joe, nonno e nipote, si incontrano e si legano con quelle di Emily, sorella più piccola di Joe e voce narrante; di Eleanor che scappa da un marito violento, al quale comunque resterà sempre legata nel desiderio, e che sposerà poi il timido Edward e avrà due figli da lui; dei genitori di Joe ed Emily, colpiti improvvisamente da un evento tanto più grande di loro. E, ancora più lontano, dei genitori dello stesso Edward: Mary Webb, ultima sopravvissuta di una famiglia spazzata via dalla tubercolosi nell’Inghilterra degli anni Trenta, e Thomas Blood, reduce di guerra che in combattimento ha perso l’udito.
Lampi di luce tra il passato e il futuro attraversano questo libro meraviglioso e illuminano le sue pagine, mentre Emily racconta dell’amato fratello Joe e della malattia che lo prende quando è ancora soltanto poco più di un ragazzo. Tutto intorno, come scrive Anna Beecher, “i miracoli brillano ovunque”, anche nelle giornate più brutte, e il miracolo più grande forse è proprio vivere con chi si ama, essere amati per chi si è davvero e non per chi vorremmo essere.
Toccante, struggente, lirico, Miracoli è un romanzo di intensità assoluta e bruciante che racconta la vita come una carezza che resta oltre il tempo e le generazioni.
Lampi di luce tra il passato e il futuro attraversano questo libro meraviglioso e illuminano le sue pagine, mentre Emily racconta dell’amato fratello Joe e della malattia che lo prende quando è ancora soltanto poco più di un ragazzo. Tutto intorno, come scrive Anna Beecher, “i miracoli brillano ovunque”, anche nelle giornate più brutte, e il miracolo più grande forse è proprio vivere con chi si ama, essere amati per chi si è davvero e non per chi vorremmo essere.
Toccante, struggente, lirico, Miracoli è un romanzo di intensità assoluta e bruciante che racconta la vita come una carezza che resta oltre il tempo e le generazioni.
- GenresFictionLGBTContemporary
240 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2021
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865 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
December 27, 2023
Ho letto questo libro due anni esatti fa, tra il 24 e il 25 dicembre 2021. Nel commento a caldo scrivevo: “Tra 4 e 5 stelle.
Che bello che è… tristemente bello e vero.”
A più libri più libri 2023, me lo hanno consigliato direttamente quelli della casa editrice. Ho comprato la seconda copia. Avevo rimosso di non solo averne già una a casa, ma di averlo anche già letto. Eppure tutto in questo libro aveva echi profondi in me e non capivo il perché.
Il motivo adesso che l’ho riletto balza ai miei occhi: è la storia di due fratelli, Joe ed Emily, lui è più grande di lei di due anni.
I rimandi di questa storia alla mia storia famigliare e personale sono troppo forti. Ecco perché avevo rimosso tutto. Poi, però, l’abile inconscio trova il modo per farci tornare sulle rive di quel fiume che fa ancora tanto male.
Nell’augurio che ho scritto per Natale ho citato una poesia di Emily Dickinson nella traduzione di Margherita Guidacci
“Prima che venga il ghiaccio sugli stagni, prima che scendano i pattinatori, e la neve al crepuscolo illividisca qualche guancia prima che la campagna s’addormenti, prima dell’albero di Natale, mi accadranno miracoli uno sull’altro!” E poi ho continuato a scrivere: “[…] in questa giornata Natale, Vi giungano i miei più sinceri auguri.
Ho scelto la poesia di Emily Dickinson perché spero che ciascuno di Voi abbia uno sguardo attento per cogliere i miracoli che accadono.
A volte è difficile riconoscere i miracoli, quando tutto attorno a noi sembra che vada storto. La vita stessa, però, è un continuo miracolo.
Il Natale è anche la festa in cui alcune mancanze si sentono più forti: in realtà, sono presenze invisibili che ci abbracciano e dalle quali continua ad irradiare l’amore per noi.
“Il sogno era sempre davanti a me, in fuga.
Raggiungerlo, trascorrervi un momento all'unisono,
quello era il miracolo.”
Anaïs Nin
Mi auguro che per ciascuno di Voi questo sia il tempo dell’ascolto e della condivisione, il tempo in cui le emozioni positive abbiano la meglio su quelle negative, il tempo in cui si abbia uno sguardo attendo per scorgere i piccoli miracoli che accadono.”
Quello che ho scritto nel messaggio di Natale contiene ciò che è narrato in questo libro: c’è dolore, il dolore forte della perdita di un fratello, che anche un figlio e un nipote; c’è l’amore della famiglia che fa quadrato attorno a lui per sostenerlo nella malattia; ci sono le radici, con la loro storia, i loro segreti, rappresentate dai nonni, che alimentano questo amore puro.
Il bello di questa rilettura è stato nel farmi prendere consapevolezza su alcuni nervi miei scoperti.
“Io e la mamma eravamo quasi addormentate sui divani nella stanza accanto, quando è venuto papà e ci ha fatte alzare. In qualche modo sapeva che stava per succedere, anche se non ci ha detto come, e noi non gliel'abbiamo chiesto.
Ci ha solo detto: «Penso che dovreste venire di là».
Ho messo la mia mano nella tua, ma tu non riuscivi più a stringerla. Il tuo respiro era cambiato. Gli odori dolci e viziati del respiro e della pelle. Un'espressione sul tuo viso, come di concentrazione, come se cercassi dentro di te le forze per fare quest'ultima cosa.
Papà ha detto con voce ferma: «Lasciati travolgere dalla bellezza».
L’ha ripetuto più volte.
E poi sei morto.”
Bello, bello, bello!
“Salire in macchina con la paura che gi montava dentro. La consapevolezza di non poter assolutamente aggiustare la cosa verso la quale si savano dirigendo. Solo l'amore, e qualcosa che andava ben oltre l’amore: la rete tra le persone, che le spingeva avanti, le portava da Joe.”
Aggiunta: “Ma la cosa strana è che, per quanto altro futuro possa accadere, non mi sento mai più lontana da te. Ero così spaventata che tu potessi affondare nel passato, giù e fuori dalla mia visuale, come qualcosa che è stato gettato in mare. Ma tu non sei affondato. Non proprio un miracolo, ma lo straordinario nell'ordinario.”
Che bello che è… tristemente bello e vero.”
A più libri più libri 2023, me lo hanno consigliato direttamente quelli della casa editrice. Ho comprato la seconda copia. Avevo rimosso di non solo averne già una a casa, ma di averlo anche già letto. Eppure tutto in questo libro aveva echi profondi in me e non capivo il perché.
Il motivo adesso che l’ho riletto balza ai miei occhi: è la storia di due fratelli, Joe ed Emily, lui è più grande di lei di due anni.
I rimandi di questa storia alla mia storia famigliare e personale sono troppo forti. Ecco perché avevo rimosso tutto. Poi, però, l’abile inconscio trova il modo per farci tornare sulle rive di quel fiume che fa ancora tanto male.
Nell’augurio che ho scritto per Natale ho citato una poesia di Emily Dickinson nella traduzione di Margherita Guidacci
“Prima che venga il ghiaccio sugli stagni, prima che scendano i pattinatori, e la neve al crepuscolo illividisca qualche guancia prima che la campagna s’addormenti, prima dell’albero di Natale, mi accadranno miracoli uno sull’altro!” E poi ho continuato a scrivere: “[…] in questa giornata Natale, Vi giungano i miei più sinceri auguri.
Ho scelto la poesia di Emily Dickinson perché spero che ciascuno di Voi abbia uno sguardo attento per cogliere i miracoli che accadono.
A volte è difficile riconoscere i miracoli, quando tutto attorno a noi sembra che vada storto. La vita stessa, però, è un continuo miracolo.
Il Natale è anche la festa in cui alcune mancanze si sentono più forti: in realtà, sono presenze invisibili che ci abbracciano e dalle quali continua ad irradiare l’amore per noi.
“Il sogno era sempre davanti a me, in fuga.
Raggiungerlo, trascorrervi un momento all'unisono,
quello era il miracolo.”
Anaïs Nin
Mi auguro che per ciascuno di Voi questo sia il tempo dell’ascolto e della condivisione, il tempo in cui le emozioni positive abbiano la meglio su quelle negative, il tempo in cui si abbia uno sguardo attendo per scorgere i piccoli miracoli che accadono.”
Quello che ho scritto nel messaggio di Natale contiene ciò che è narrato in questo libro: c’è dolore, il dolore forte della perdita di un fratello, che anche un figlio e un nipote; c’è l’amore della famiglia che fa quadrato attorno a lui per sostenerlo nella malattia; ci sono le radici, con la loro storia, i loro segreti, rappresentate dai nonni, che alimentano questo amore puro.
Il bello di questa rilettura è stato nel farmi prendere consapevolezza su alcuni nervi miei scoperti.
“Io e la mamma eravamo quasi addormentate sui divani nella stanza accanto, quando è venuto papà e ci ha fatte alzare. In qualche modo sapeva che stava per succedere, anche se non ci ha detto come, e noi non gliel'abbiamo chiesto.
Ci ha solo detto: «Penso che dovreste venire di là».
Ho messo la mia mano nella tua, ma tu non riuscivi più a stringerla. Il tuo respiro era cambiato. Gli odori dolci e viziati del respiro e della pelle. Un'espressione sul tuo viso, come di concentrazione, come se cercassi dentro di te le forze per fare quest'ultima cosa.
Papà ha detto con voce ferma: «Lasciati travolgere dalla bellezza».
L’ha ripetuto più volte.
E poi sei morto.”
Bello, bello, bello!
“Salire in macchina con la paura che gi montava dentro. La consapevolezza di non poter assolutamente aggiustare la cosa verso la quale si savano dirigendo. Solo l'amore, e qualcosa che andava ben oltre l’amore: la rete tra le persone, che le spingeva avanti, le portava da Joe.”
Aggiunta: “Ma la cosa strana è che, per quanto altro futuro possa accadere, non mi sento mai più lontana da te. Ero così spaventata che tu potessi affondare nel passato, giù e fuori dalla mia visuale, come qualcosa che è stato gettato in mare. Ma tu non sei affondato. Non proprio un miracolo, ma lo straordinario nell'ordinario.”
July 1, 2022
A family deals with a cancer diagnosis. A mother is torn in two trying to be optimistic and resilient for her beloved son, her first born. His sister attempts to live her life whilst dealing with the gradual deterioration of her brother, the constant in her world. A grandfather in his youth has feelings for someone he shouldn’t. He lives a lie.
Life changes, pauses, swerves, halts.
Together these stories meander, weave and clash. Time is the only constant as life goes on.
A beautifully written book which tugged at my heartstrings and made me wonder at the unfairness and randomness of life. This is one you won’t forget in a hurry.
Life changes, pauses, swerves, halts.
Together these stories meander, weave and clash. Time is the only constant as life goes on.
A beautifully written book which tugged at my heartstrings and made me wonder at the unfairness and randomness of life. This is one you won’t forget in a hurry.
August 15, 2021
Grief is a subject that is incredibly personal to everyone and I had a hard time relaxing into this book - do you know what I mean? When you're expecting all the sad things so you keep waiting for it to happen...? Here Comes The Miracle by Anna Beecher (thank you Jonathan Ball Publishers) is a beautifully told story of love and loss; it is incredibly poignant and heartbreaking and I ugly cried many, many times...
March 6, 2021
At seventeen years old, Edward falls in love with his best friend Jack... but the relationship will never work. Years later, Edward has built a life with Eleanor, got married and started a family. They soon find themselves grandparents to Joe and Emily.
Joe grows up to be a talented musician, and is ready to begin the next stage of his life, when he is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Emily and the rest of the family are left hoping for a miracle that might never happen.
'Here Comes The Miracle' is a story about love and loss. Told from multiple perspectives, it is almost poetic the way it jumps to different time periods and gives us a snapshot of the memories the family have shared together. I found the chapters told from Emily's point of view the most heartbreaking... so be prepared with a box of tissues!
This is a short book, at only 240 pages, and mainly focuses on the family's response to Joe's declining health. In a way, I wish that it has been a little longer, and told more of Edward and Eleanor's story. However, there's no denying this is one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a long time!
I often pass on books once I've read them, but I will be holding onto this one to read again one day. Highly recommended!
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Joe grows up to be a talented musician, and is ready to begin the next stage of his life, when he is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Emily and the rest of the family are left hoping for a miracle that might never happen.
'Here Comes The Miracle' is a story about love and loss. Told from multiple perspectives, it is almost poetic the way it jumps to different time periods and gives us a snapshot of the memories the family have shared together. I found the chapters told from Emily's point of view the most heartbreaking... so be prepared with a box of tissues!
This is a short book, at only 240 pages, and mainly focuses on the family's response to Joe's declining health. In a way, I wish that it has been a little longer, and told more of Edward and Eleanor's story. However, there's no denying this is one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a long time!
I often pass on books once I've read them, but I will be holding onto this one to read again one day. Highly recommended!
I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2021
Review coming soon
September 1, 2022
what an astonishing book. anna beecher is truly talented. such an intimate depiction of familial love and loss, so carefully put together with the most beautiful imagery. sobbed my way through the last 50 or so pages
October 19, 2022
Quando mi è stato consigliato Miracoli, la premessa portava molte parole: fratelli e tristezza rientravano tra queste. Io che un po’ mi sento immune allo struggimento che leggo e che vedo alla televisione a meno che non riguardi gli animali), ho seguito la prima e mi ci si sono buttata senza neanche sbirciare la trama. In questo caso, no: non è una cosa che consiglio.
Emily ha ventidue anni quando diagnosticano un tumore a suo fratello maggiore, Joe. Non ha conosciuto vita che non lo contenesse: lui talentuoso, lui violinista, lui ironico. Lui che tra gli altri brilla ed è punto cardinale.
Emily riceve la notizia appena tornata dalle vacanze. Il cancro non è arrivato piano, ma subito funesto, e non potendo raccontare la genesi del dolore del fratello, Emily racconta la sua. La incornicia nella storia della famiglia, che è sua tanto quanto di Joe, partendo da lontano: ci sono i nonni che sono la cura, e ne disegna le traiettorie che hanno percorso per portare alla loro nascita. Poi sprazzi d’infanzia, di presente - insomma: di vita. Perché attorno alla m0rte - e poi dopo - la vita non cessa di accadere.
Lo si presagisce fin dalla prima pagina, il destino del racconto. Eppure lo si cerca, lo so brama, lo si attende. Però è proprio l’essere della m0rte coprotagonista del racconto a renderlo un testo da affrontare con cautela. Io ho compreso come si può comprendere senza averlo vissuto, e ha fatto comunque male.
Lo stile è impeccabile e alcuni capitoli sono così profondi da aver sentito il bisogno di leggerli due, tre, quattro volte. Ma non risparmia la crudezza di un corpo malato, Anna Beecher, in quello che per me è un esordio di grande rispetto e una delle più belle lettere d’amore fraterno lette fino ad ora.
Quindi eccolo, il libro più straziante dell’anno. Eppure anche vitale, struggente, ricco, tenero, vero.
Un libro che si pone domande per cui è benefico abbozzare risposte, anche se poi riguardano ambiti che di certezze non si nutrono.
Con le dovute cautele, lettura davvero consigliata.
Emily ha ventidue anni quando diagnosticano un tumore a suo fratello maggiore, Joe. Non ha conosciuto vita che non lo contenesse: lui talentuoso, lui violinista, lui ironico. Lui che tra gli altri brilla ed è punto cardinale.
Emily riceve la notizia appena tornata dalle vacanze. Il cancro non è arrivato piano, ma subito funesto, e non potendo raccontare la genesi del dolore del fratello, Emily racconta la sua. La incornicia nella storia della famiglia, che è sua tanto quanto di Joe, partendo da lontano: ci sono i nonni che sono la cura, e ne disegna le traiettorie che hanno percorso per portare alla loro nascita. Poi sprazzi d’infanzia, di presente - insomma: di vita. Perché attorno alla m0rte - e poi dopo - la vita non cessa di accadere.
Lo si presagisce fin dalla prima pagina, il destino del racconto. Eppure lo si cerca, lo so brama, lo si attende. Però è proprio l’essere della m0rte coprotagonista del racconto a renderlo un testo da affrontare con cautela. Io ho compreso come si può comprendere senza averlo vissuto, e ha fatto comunque male.
Lo stile è impeccabile e alcuni capitoli sono così profondi da aver sentito il bisogno di leggerli due, tre, quattro volte. Ma non risparmia la crudezza di un corpo malato, Anna Beecher, in quello che per me è un esordio di grande rispetto e una delle più belle lettere d’amore fraterno lette fino ad ora.
Quindi eccolo, il libro più straziante dell’anno. Eppure anche vitale, struggente, ricco, tenero, vero.
Un libro che si pone domande per cui è benefico abbozzare risposte, anche se poi riguardano ambiti che di certezze non si nutrono.
Con le dovute cautele, lettura davvero consigliata.
October 16, 2021
I don’t have much to say apart from that this is probably the saddest book I’ve ever read but also the most beautiful. From the descriptions of thoughts and emotions that Anna uses, I’ve learned to sit and be comfortable with mine. To actually listen to them and what they’re telling me, because obviously Anna has, and she writes beautifully because of it.
“Upset. All the things a phrase can cover. Like, I’m fine - all the times that it isn’t enough, but also isn’t a lie. I am fine. I am living. When my shower runs cold, I can see all the veins in my chest afterwards, shining through me, fanned out like a tree. My body is working. I am fine.”
“Upset. All the things a phrase can cover. Like, I’m fine - all the times that it isn’t enough, but also isn’t a lie. I am fine. I am living. When my shower runs cold, I can see all the veins in my chest afterwards, shining through me, fanned out like a tree. My body is working. I am fine.”
April 26, 2023
Read this on my flight home & I did indeed cry. Loved the different character perspectives in the book & the time jumps
July 19, 2024
Potentially my new favourite book, such a beautiful and heartbreaking novel. Beecher writes in a way that allows the reader to feel so close to this story. I loved Emily & Joe. Made me sob.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 2, 2020A lyrically-written tale of loss, which finds great significance in small things and quiet moments. Painful and beautiful.
January 8, 2025
Wow what a fabulous book, stunning how it's laid out. Cancer is in my family and I cried my eyes out for most of it, crying for how accurate this book is and bringing back the pain of losing both my parents to cancer. How strange then that I really couldn't put this book down - worth my 5 stars.
May 29, 2022
Dall'inizio alla fine di questo racconto familiare, riceviamo in dono la possibilità di rispecchiarci nelle parole dell'autrice che, in un modo estremamente vivido, descrivono alcune delle traversie più sconvolgenti e contemporaneamente più comuni con cui ci si confronta nella vita adulta.
C'è una frase che a mio avviso rappresenta una chiave; credo che andrebbe custodita, per non dimenticarla e usarla quando serve. Descrive perfettamente l'atteggiamento delle persone che si sentono sopraffatte dagli eventi:
"Viveva come una persona che cammina in una bufera di neve: a testa bassa, vede solo i suoi piedi che sprofondano, uno dopo l'altro, sul terreno."
Se conservata, questa formula potrebbe servirci a tradurre il dolore degli altri, a ricordarci i limiti che ci impone il nostro, potrebbe aprire una porta e creare un ponte tra il mondo che nasce e si esaurisce dentro la sofferenza e tutto il resto, che non ha colpa di non essere doloroso, di rappresentare il miracolo perpetuo dell'esistenza, che è salvezza perché intanto accade.
C'è una frase che a mio avviso rappresenta una chiave; credo che andrebbe custodita, per non dimenticarla e usarla quando serve. Descrive perfettamente l'atteggiamento delle persone che si sentono sopraffatte dagli eventi:
"Viveva come una persona che cammina in una bufera di neve: a testa bassa, vede solo i suoi piedi che sprofondano, uno dopo l'altro, sul terreno."
Se conservata, questa formula potrebbe servirci a tradurre il dolore degli altri, a ricordarci i limiti che ci impone il nostro, potrebbe aprire una porta e creare un ponte tra il mondo che nasce e si esaurisce dentro la sofferenza e tutto il resto, che non ha colpa di non essere doloroso, di rappresentare il miracolo perpetuo dell'esistenza, che è salvezza perché intanto accade.
April 27, 2021
Goodness me, this book broke me. If there was ever a book to go under the radar during lockdown, this is it. It should be huge & I’m barely seeing anyone talk about it. It is a masterpiece.
January 11, 2025
I have never encountered such tender writing
August 6, 2021
Meet Joe, a miracle baby born too small and too early. Then Emily, his sister born two years after, who would come to love him more than life itself. Snake back through time and meet Edward, a young man moved to feel a love the world does not approve of yet; the man who would later become their grandfather. In comes somebody else. Eleanor; the last to fully enter this story and the first to leave it - Joe and Emily’s grandmother.
This is arguably the most beautyful book I’ve read this year – so far; a spot previously shared by Emezi’s Freshwater and Silvera’s They Both Die at the End.
If anything I would like to commend Anna Beecher’s prose; the poetic and lyrical way in which she weaves a story of love, of loss and the lingering clutches of grief in all its guises. In hindsight, you might believe this to be Joe’s story, about his sickness and the tumultuous journey his family is plunged into as they navigate their new normal. However, it is in this genius writing device that Beecher performs magic and manages to provide background on four key characters - a story that surpasses the infringements of time and space, bringing together the past and present, the reader finds themself at a crossroad trying to understand just what emotion to feel and how we’re meant to move forward.
Told by two voices – Emily’s and that of an unnamed omniscient narrator – we are taken through a lifetime of stories, of lives and fading faces and the impacts decisions made and unmade have on not just our own future but that of the people we bring into this world. Edward falls in love his friend Jack, and discovers something about himself that he will work to keep hidden from the world all his life – his first loss. Eleanor, a beautiful woman with dreams and a future so bright, falls in love with a monster dressed in fine clothes. She is one of the lucky few women who get to leave an abusive situation – however, this brings about its own loss, and an array of questions where her future lovers are concerned.
Here Comes the Miracle explores themes of terminal illness, homosexuality and family, poignantly examining the love and grief that these can provoke. As the lives of Edward, Eleanor, Joe and Emily unfold, reading Here Come the Miracle felt like piecing together a jigsaw, where every correctly placed piece makes the image of their lives progressively clearer.
At the beginning of the book, despite whatever thoughts you may already hold from reading the synopsis, there is one reality you cannot deny – it is the energy that surrounds both the story and the voice telling it. Grief. Memory. Detachment.
The reader can already sense that our protagonist, a distant Joe whose only presence is summoned by a ‘You’ his sister, our narrator, invokes with her words; has died. Or will die. From the very first sentence, his introduction to us at his birth – this small thing, with the world already against him, defiant and eager to live. It is even in this present (past?) moment bursting with life and possibility, one cannot escape the gnawing energy of loss. Emily’s voice reads like a eulogy, like a gravesite conversation with one’s dearly departed, and the closest thing to resurrecting them is through the magic of memory.
There are many factors and themes that make this story the heart-wrenching tear-jerker it is, the relevant and deeply transcendent work of art. It is the way that the author transcends time to bring about the narrative of old, how she makes the events that made Edward and Eleanor the grandparents realistic and relevant to the present story.
Time is at the centre of this story, and the way that Edward and Eleanor do things and the decisions that impart something in the events of Joe and Emily’s existence provide for parallels to be investigated – Edward and Joe’s character dynamics, Emily and Eleanor’s character dynamics; as well as the way that Edward navigates his relationships is severely different to how Joe does. Edward’s relationship with his sister when mirrored to that of Joe and Emily’s. The author says something just as a chapter on Edward’s story closes, how in another life Edward calls his sister and tell her about Jack, about their mother’s decision to send him away… It makes one question if perhaps, had this happened, things would have turned out differently.
Here Comes the Miracle is like a retelling, with a lesson in the middle on how history has a tendency to play a cosmic joke on people, repeating itself in convoluted ways when those who’ve lived long enough to discern its lessons refuse to acknowledge them.
I have to admit that I was convinced that I wouldn’t cry that much when the inevitable happened, but I did. I felt this way because this was mostly Emily’s story and the love she had for her brother, her adoration. There’s something about the relationship and the words, the language she conjures up to describe him, to describe his presence in her life and the salient memories of their childhood – how, unlike him, she has never known a life where he was not already a part of it. He has always been there for her and with her. It is beautyful, endearing and almost the kind where one grows up looking up to an older sibling who shares a similar reverence for them and the love given and received merges and becomes one. It brings me to tears to imagine the burden she had to carry telling this story, the pain and the having to grow up and let go of your only brother – a person you’ve looked up to all your life. She was his best friend.
If anything, I felt and cried for her because she has to live with the ghost of what he meant to her.
It is in the way that Anna Beecher wrote this story that we truly find what is being sought, how this may be thought to be a book about loss and the pursuit of living post grief and death, but is also a testimony to the strength of life and the power that lies in one’s memory.
This is arguably the most beautyful book I’ve read this year – so far; a spot previously shared by Emezi’s Freshwater and Silvera’s They Both Die at the End.
If anything I would like to commend Anna Beecher’s prose; the poetic and lyrical way in which she weaves a story of love, of loss and the lingering clutches of grief in all its guises. In hindsight, you might believe this to be Joe’s story, about his sickness and the tumultuous journey his family is plunged into as they navigate their new normal. However, it is in this genius writing device that Beecher performs magic and manages to provide background on four key characters - a story that surpasses the infringements of time and space, bringing together the past and present, the reader finds themself at a crossroad trying to understand just what emotion to feel and how we’re meant to move forward.
Told by two voices – Emily’s and that of an unnamed omniscient narrator – we are taken through a lifetime of stories, of lives and fading faces and the impacts decisions made and unmade have on not just our own future but that of the people we bring into this world. Edward falls in love his friend Jack, and discovers something about himself that he will work to keep hidden from the world all his life – his first loss. Eleanor, a beautiful woman with dreams and a future so bright, falls in love with a monster dressed in fine clothes. She is one of the lucky few women who get to leave an abusive situation – however, this brings about its own loss, and an array of questions where her future lovers are concerned.
Here Comes the Miracle explores themes of terminal illness, homosexuality and family, poignantly examining the love and grief that these can provoke. As the lives of Edward, Eleanor, Joe and Emily unfold, reading Here Come the Miracle felt like piecing together a jigsaw, where every correctly placed piece makes the image of their lives progressively clearer.
At the beginning of the book, despite whatever thoughts you may already hold from reading the synopsis, there is one reality you cannot deny – it is the energy that surrounds both the story and the voice telling it. Grief. Memory. Detachment.
The reader can already sense that our protagonist, a distant Joe whose only presence is summoned by a ‘You’ his sister, our narrator, invokes with her words; has died. Or will die. From the very first sentence, his introduction to us at his birth – this small thing, with the world already against him, defiant and eager to live. It is even in this present (past?) moment bursting with life and possibility, one cannot escape the gnawing energy of loss. Emily’s voice reads like a eulogy, like a gravesite conversation with one’s dearly departed, and the closest thing to resurrecting them is through the magic of memory.
There are many factors and themes that make this story the heart-wrenching tear-jerker it is, the relevant and deeply transcendent work of art. It is the way that the author transcends time to bring about the narrative of old, how she makes the events that made Edward and Eleanor the grandparents realistic and relevant to the present story.
Time is at the centre of this story, and the way that Edward and Eleanor do things and the decisions that impart something in the events of Joe and Emily’s existence provide for parallels to be investigated – Edward and Joe’s character dynamics, Emily and Eleanor’s character dynamics; as well as the way that Edward navigates his relationships is severely different to how Joe does. Edward’s relationship with his sister when mirrored to that of Joe and Emily’s. The author says something just as a chapter on Edward’s story closes, how in another life Edward calls his sister and tell her about Jack, about their mother’s decision to send him away… It makes one question if perhaps, had this happened, things would have turned out differently.
Here Comes the Miracle is like a retelling, with a lesson in the middle on how history has a tendency to play a cosmic joke on people, repeating itself in convoluted ways when those who’ve lived long enough to discern its lessons refuse to acknowledge them.
I have to admit that I was convinced that I wouldn’t cry that much when the inevitable happened, but I did. I felt this way because this was mostly Emily’s story and the love she had for her brother, her adoration. There’s something about the relationship and the words, the language she conjures up to describe him, to describe his presence in her life and the salient memories of their childhood – how, unlike him, she has never known a life where he was not already a part of it. He has always been there for her and with her. It is beautyful, endearing and almost the kind where one grows up looking up to an older sibling who shares a similar reverence for them and the love given and received merges and becomes one. It brings me to tears to imagine the burden she had to carry telling this story, the pain and the having to grow up and let go of your only brother – a person you’ve looked up to all your life. She was his best friend.
If anything, I felt and cried for her because she has to live with the ghost of what he meant to her.
It is in the way that Anna Beecher wrote this story that we truly find what is being sought, how this may be thought to be a book about loss and the pursuit of living post grief and death, but is also a testimony to the strength of life and the power that lies in one’s memory.
September 21, 2022
“I led you back, through our stories and into the stories before ours.”
Death is part of life. Life doesn’t stop for death and death doesn’t stop for life.
Both live in harmony among each other.
That is what this book so beautifully portrays.
Sadness fills the lungs.
And the realization of loss really dawns on us. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness because why can’t I save you?
Why you?
And life just carry’s on. Like the tide of the sea. And we become rightfully angry. Isn’t the world supposed to stop when one’s family dies?
The answer we mournfully discover when the train never stopped arriving, when the rain never stopped falling, when weddings were never canceled, when births never ceased to exist.
It takes us on a journey, a letter from one loved one to another, and gently shows us the joys and consequences that comes with caring for another person. The price we pay for loving.
Little fleeting moments are portrayed. Proof that life in the absence and illness of another is still worth living.
It is still dazzling.
It is still Immensely beautiful.
Because of death the invisible becomes visible. We start to appreciate the little things again. How odd that our eyes are opened in the almost absence of a beating heart.
This book is intimate.
Grant in the most subtle ways.
Loud in its silence.
She used the exact right words. Not too many, not too few.
A perfect little miracle that depicts how intense us humans can love. And that despite the inevitable loss we will never love each other any less.
Death is part of life. Life doesn’t stop for death and death doesn’t stop for life.
Both live in harmony among each other.
That is what this book so beautifully portrays.
Sadness fills the lungs.
And the realization of loss really dawns on us. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness because why can’t I save you?
Why you?
And life just carry’s on. Like the tide of the sea. And we become rightfully angry. Isn’t the world supposed to stop when one’s family dies?
The answer we mournfully discover when the train never stopped arriving, when the rain never stopped falling, when weddings were never canceled, when births never ceased to exist.
It takes us on a journey, a letter from one loved one to another, and gently shows us the joys and consequences that comes with caring for another person. The price we pay for loving.
Little fleeting moments are portrayed. Proof that life in the absence and illness of another is still worth living.
It is still dazzling.
It is still Immensely beautiful.
Because of death the invisible becomes visible. We start to appreciate the little things again. How odd that our eyes are opened in the almost absence of a beating heart.
This book is intimate.
Grant in the most subtle ways.
Loud in its silence.
She used the exact right words. Not too many, not too few.
A perfect little miracle that depicts how intense us humans can love. And that despite the inevitable loss we will never love each other any less.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2021
This is a stunning story about love, loss, family and those miracles which are quietly happening everyday.
At the centre of our story is Joe, a miracle when he was born too small and too soon, but who now has late stage cancer before he’s even had the chance to fall in love.
Yet a couple of generations before Joe, there’s his grandfather Edward as a young boy who’s fallen in love with his best friend Jack - love being another miracle.
The story then moves back and forth in time and is narrated by multiple voices from the family so we are able to see how Joe came to be, and how decisions made years before can still be felt long after.
This story is a tragic one, and I’ll be honest and say I was pretty much crying for the last 40 pages - we see most things in the present through Joe’s sister Emily’s eyes, and it’s devastating to see how much her brother means to her and the loss she is faced with.
Yet, there’s also so much beauty and tenderness in the story. The prose, whilst sparse, is almost lyrical and there was so much power to it, and there’s an overwhelming feeling of kindness within the pages - particularly in the bond between this family.
I loved this novel - whilst it’s quite short, it certainly left its mark, and had a real emotional impact on me. A very poignant look at losing someone dear.
At the centre of our story is Joe, a miracle when he was born too small and too soon, but who now has late stage cancer before he’s even had the chance to fall in love.
Yet a couple of generations before Joe, there’s his grandfather Edward as a young boy who’s fallen in love with his best friend Jack - love being another miracle.
The story then moves back and forth in time and is narrated by multiple voices from the family so we are able to see how Joe came to be, and how decisions made years before can still be felt long after.
This story is a tragic one, and I’ll be honest and say I was pretty much crying for the last 40 pages - we see most things in the present through Joe’s sister Emily’s eyes, and it’s devastating to see how much her brother means to her and the loss she is faced with.
Yet, there’s also so much beauty and tenderness in the story. The prose, whilst sparse, is almost lyrical and there was so much power to it, and there’s an overwhelming feeling of kindness within the pages - particularly in the bond between this family.
I loved this novel - whilst it’s quite short, it certainly left its mark, and had a real emotional impact on me. A very poignant look at losing someone dear.
March 13, 2021
3.5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ by Anna Beecher tells the story of Joe, a miracle baby. Joe was born prematurely but manages to survive and pulls through. This is the story of how he grew up and of his path to finding love.
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ also tells the story of Edward, Joe’s grandfather, who grows up to fall in love with his best friend. But his love is a love that he is too afraid to reveal. But Edward soon finds himself one day meeting Eleanor and they soon build a family together.
But things aren’t all great in the family as they seem when Joe finds out he has cancer, all they can do is hope for the best as he undergoes treatment that may hopefully save his life.
The story jumps back and forth between Eleanor, Edward, Joe and Emily, spanning around fifty years as we learn all about their lives growing up, the moments with their loved ones, the relationships they build and the family Edward and Eleanor create.
It’s a short yet powerful read that is well-written and wonderfully described. You get a real feel for their despair, the hardships that are thrown their way and how scared they feel from the moment we find out Joe has cancer.
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ is a touching story about love, loss, and relationships.
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ by Anna Beecher tells the story of Joe, a miracle baby. Joe was born prematurely but manages to survive and pulls through. This is the story of how he grew up and of his path to finding love.
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ also tells the story of Edward, Joe’s grandfather, who grows up to fall in love with his best friend. But his love is a love that he is too afraid to reveal. But Edward soon finds himself one day meeting Eleanor and they soon build a family together.
But things aren’t all great in the family as they seem when Joe finds out he has cancer, all they can do is hope for the best as he undergoes treatment that may hopefully save his life.
The story jumps back and forth between Eleanor, Edward, Joe and Emily, spanning around fifty years as we learn all about their lives growing up, the moments with their loved ones, the relationships they build and the family Edward and Eleanor create.
It’s a short yet powerful read that is well-written and wonderfully described. You get a real feel for their despair, the hardships that are thrown their way and how scared they feel from the moment we find out Joe has cancer.
‘Here Comes the Miracle’ is a touching story about love, loss, and relationships.
March 2, 2021
I challenge you to read this book and not be drowning in tears by the end!
The book is split into three parts and chapters alternate between Joe & Emily, Edward (Joe & Emily’s Grandfather) and Eleanor (Joe & Emily’s Grandmother). The chapters for Edward and Eleanor transport the reader back into the past, before Joe & Emily were born as we discover what happened to them.
Despite the upsetting topic this book is essentially about love, the love we experience when we are younger, the love we hide from others, the love that isn’t always the correct kind of love and as we explore the backstory of both Edward and Eleanor we clearly see how they have both experienced love and loss in completely different ways.
Joe & Emily’s chapters were told from Emily’s point of view and again whilst they were some of the toughest chapters to read, they were also some of the most beautiful and powerful to read.
Overall this book will make you cry but underneath all the pain is a family’s story of love in spite of everything! This is definitely a contender for one of my top 10 books of 2021.
The book is split into three parts and chapters alternate between Joe & Emily, Edward (Joe & Emily’s Grandfather) and Eleanor (Joe & Emily’s Grandmother). The chapters for Edward and Eleanor transport the reader back into the past, before Joe & Emily were born as we discover what happened to them.
Despite the upsetting topic this book is essentially about love, the love we experience when we are younger, the love we hide from others, the love that isn’t always the correct kind of love and as we explore the backstory of both Edward and Eleanor we clearly see how they have both experienced love and loss in completely different ways.
Joe & Emily’s chapters were told from Emily’s point of view and again whilst they were some of the toughest chapters to read, they were also some of the most beautiful and powerful to read.
Overall this book will make you cry but underneath all the pain is a family’s story of love in spite of everything! This is definitely a contender for one of my top 10 books of 2021.
October 6, 2021
This is a beautifully written book. It’s about Joe, a young and brilliant man who is diagnosed with cancer and dies within a year of the diagnosis. But it’s not just his story because it is also about his sister, Emily, who writes the book to him [“you came home thin at Christmas….”] and it’s about his grandparents and the choices and compromises people make to live in the world they are born into.
I liked the sparse descriptive prose, particularly in the sections written to Joe. The jagged edges of the half-sentences and snatches of speech capture grief and disassociation so well that I had to stop halfway and google to see if the book is a memoir - it’s not, it’s fiction, but the author lost her brother in the same year the book is set, so the emotions are drawn directly and bravely from life and that is why they are so compelling.
I liked the sparse descriptive prose, particularly in the sections written to Joe. The jagged edges of the half-sentences and snatches of speech capture grief and disassociation so well that I had to stop halfway and google to see if the book is a memoir - it’s not, it’s fiction, but the author lost her brother in the same year the book is set, so the emotions are drawn directly and bravely from life and that is why they are so compelling.
January 16, 2022
Beautifully written and achingly sad, this is a slow grower so don’t expect lots of action but I loved it - each character is incredibly fleshed out and the move between past and present was seamless, (not always an easy thing for an author to accomplish!). Brief synopsis - Edward is in love with his best friend, Jack, but it can never be. Fast forward and he’s now a granddad to Joe and Emily. Joe, now at university, is just beginning to discover who he is when he’s diagnosed with stage four cancer. As we follow his story, (mostly told through Emily - a second person narrative as she speaks directly to him), we are taken back here and there to Edward and Jack; to Edward’s mother and briefly his now deceased wife. It just works and the prose is subtle yet wonderful. A definite recommendation for 2022 and I can’t wait to see what Anna does next!
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March 13, 2021No rating, as I don’t think this book came to me at the right time, but I can see why it’d be rated highly.
This is an incredibly tragic story - and whilst you can see the outcome and be prepared, it’s raw with grief and love lost.
The exploration of family, relationships and love is incredibly well done and at the forefront of this book - especially as chapters are split between past/present with Joe and Emily as the protagonists. You also had other characters which explored the miracle side of things.
At only 229 pages, it’s memorable. The writing isn’t to my style.
I would recommend if these themes are of interest, but really consider whether you’re in the right mindset for it. It doesn’t have a happy ending.
Gifted in exchange for an honest review.
This is an incredibly tragic story - and whilst you can see the outcome and be prepared, it’s raw with grief and love lost.
The exploration of family, relationships and love is incredibly well done and at the forefront of this book - especially as chapters are split between past/present with Joe and Emily as the protagonists. You also had other characters which explored the miracle side of things.
At only 229 pages, it’s memorable. The writing isn’t to my style.
I would recommend if these themes are of interest, but really consider whether you’re in the right mindset for it. It doesn’t have a happy ending.
Gifted in exchange for an honest review.
April 6, 2021
Due to the nature of the book, this was a slow burner and not an easy read. It comes with a plethora of trigger warnings that I’ve added to The Storygraph so definitely consider these if you want to give it a read.
To begin with I really struggled. There are multiple characters and timelines and it took me a while to figure it all out in my head and connect everything. When I began to figure it out and get my bearings, I did start to really enjoy it.
There is loss and grief and so much pain but there is also, so much love in this family. Particularly between Joe and Emily, I loved their sections the most.
Thank you so much Orion Books for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my review.
To begin with I really struggled. There are multiple characters and timelines and it took me a while to figure it all out in my head and connect everything. When I began to figure it out and get my bearings, I did start to really enjoy it.
There is loss and grief and so much pain but there is also, so much love in this family. Particularly between Joe and Emily, I loved their sections the most.
Thank you so much Orion Books for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my review.
May 3, 2021
This is an incredibly beautiful and moving story which is divided into two different story lines within one family. One story line is that of siblings; Emily and Joe, written from the point of view of Emily who id struggling to come to terms with Joe's stage 4 cancer diagnosis. The other is of their grandparents; Eleanor and Edward, and of how they came into each other's lives after they'd both experienced what they perceived to be not the correct type of love. Both story lines contain a different picture of love and grief, and of the journeys that each of the characters goes through in order to come to terms with loss. Really beautiful and thought provoking read, though would definitely advise having tissues to hand!
January 8, 2022
I had the privilege of taking a creative writing class from Anna Beecher this past semester at UVA. As a student in her class, I was blown away by the way she was able to connect her students and bring such wonderful emotion into the classroom. Having learned she’d written a novel, I knew I absolutely had to read it, and I’m so glad I did. This is one of the most vulnerable and honest works I’ve ever read. It’s raw and beautiful with emotion, and the prose is stunning. The way Beecher interweaves several different narratives and time periods is effortless and so well done. I spent hours in tears after reading this book because I was so incredibly moved. Do yourself a favor and read this book! I’m crossing my fingers for another book from Anna Beecher soon!
March 24, 2020
4.5 stars
Oh,this was a bit of a heartbreaker.
A family full of love,that struggle together through a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Emily's love for her brother brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion,but to be honest I'd have happily been enveloped into any of that families arms.
The story told over different timelines,with different characters worked well,breaking at the right time from one part to another.
A beautifully told story that's going to be in my top books of the year I think
Oh,this was a bit of a heartbreaker.
A family full of love,that struggle together through a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Emily's love for her brother brought a tear to my eye on more than one occasion,but to be honest I'd have happily been enveloped into any of that families arms.
The story told over different timelines,with different characters worked well,breaking at the right time from one part to another.
A beautifully told story that's going to be in my top books of the year I think
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2021
This first novel by Anna Beecher is an absolutely luminous story of love and loss. The story of the death of a beloved brother, it is a tribute to love shared, to those who have passed from tangible presence to present absence carried forever in hearts and memory. Beecher's imagery is stunningly reflective of human experience. This is a jewel of a book!
December 18, 2021
This book is like emotional open heart surgery. It’s life-affirming even as it’s plumbs real grief and struggle. Every word is written with care and deliberateness, the voices are intimate and personal with a clarity that I find completely rare. It doesn’t look away from hardship and yet retains an absolute awe and sensitivity to experience’s many shades of beauty.
March 8, 2021
I loved this book. Really sharp writing from a perspective of different generations and time spans. It's a really wonderful read, one of those ones I just want to gift to all my friends. I polished it off in two sittings and will read again.
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