The Peculiar Miracles of Antoinette Martin

June 27, 2016
Knipper’s first novel chronicles how two sisters, Rose and Lily Martin, attempt to mend their longtime rift once Rose realizes that she’s dying and that she wants Lily to come home to care for Rose’s 10-year-old daughter, Antoinette. Antoinette has never spoken and exhibits other autistic-like behaviors as well as supernatural abilities, including the ability to heal things with her touch. She’s currently cared for on a flower farm in Redbud, Ky., by her mom and Rose’s childhood friend Seth Hastings, who lives next door. Seth still carries a torch for Lily, despite having left her years ago to go to seminary school. Lily has similar feelings for Seth, though she hides behind her friendship with dashingly handsome Will Grayson, who’s also in love with her. Lily, meanwhile, has OCD, which manifests in her need to count things; she’s stayed away all these years for fear that exposure to her niece will worsen her tics. But luckily for everyone, Lily and Antoinette warm to each other, though Lily is spooked that Antoinette has the ability to restore the dead and wounded. Though some of the pieces don’t quite fit together, the originality of the plot in Knipper’s debut will keep readers turning the pages.

On a Kentucky flower farm, Rose, whose weakened heart is failing, asks her sister, Lily, to return home to care for Antoinette, her special-needs daughter. Andi Arndt performs the majority of this dual-narrator audiobook, giving voice to Lily's and Antoinette's perspectives. Her clear, expressive delivery enlivens the action and highlights the characters' primary concerns, such as Lily's fears of becoming a mother and Antoinette's frustrations at not being able to talk. Using a light Southern accent, Cassandra Campbell presents Rose's journal entries, slowing and softening the narration to mimic the internal musings of the dying woman, which, naturally, focus on the need to protect her daughter. The contrasting delivery styles enhance the listener's experience of the story, which examines contemporary issues through the lens of magical realism. C.B.L. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine