The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is a Literary Fiction/Young Adult novel by Robin Gregory.

Blurb

Having won 21 awards, The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is being lauded as a classic. A haunting, visionary tale spun in the magical realist tradition of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the profoundly unique voice and heart-stirring narrative recall great works of fiction that explore the universal desire to belong.

Early 1900s, Western America. A lonely, disabled boy with a nasty temper and miraculous healing powers, Moojie is taken by his father to live at his grandfather’s wilderness farm. There, Moojie meets otherworldly social outcasts and wants to join them. Following a series of trials–magical and mystical–he is summoned by the call to a great destiny … if only he can survive one last terrifying trial.

A Word from the Author

It began as a memoir, but after four years of wrestling with form–and a narrator who annoyed me–I escaped to fiction. I wanted to write a novel in the tradition of my literary heros: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Ursula Le Guin, Madeleine L’Engle. Through magical realism, I found freedom to explore mystical, spiritual, philosophical, and social themes. And, in the hands of a child-protagonist, magic began to happen. Ideas, words, and phrases took on a musical, lyrical quality.

My son inspired the story. He was born with the contradiction of special needs and healing gifts. Several of the miracles in the story actually happened. Writing the story was motivated by the desire to explore a boy-healer’s coming-of-age and awakening in early 1900s America. Publishing it was to lend inspiration, faith, and a soul-boost to readers who struggle with limitations. For who in this world doesn’t? I can name two. Both are cats.

(Robin Gregory, June 2017)

Our Review

This is the best book I have read this year and not only that, when I finished reading I knew that I would have to read it again – it left such a special impression on me.
The author, Robin Gregory, is a master craftswoman of words, it was delightful to savor each word and also very much entertaining as the text is permeated with good healthy humor and very very strong characters – in my view one of the strongest points when assessing a novel!
The story itself is about a very special boy, Moojie Littleman, he is an orphan and he as some strange powers but also problems – for instance his body doesn’t work as it should. Moojie wants to fit in with the rest of humanity but finds it extremely hard as his disability puts people off. But he soon will find that he is not alone and will learn some very important lessons, for he comes across some very special friends – otherworldly beings who will help shape his path for good or for evil. As the story unfolds we read of Moojie’s successes and failures; We can see how Moojie deals with his strong and weak points: his power to heal; his disability and the frustration caused by it; other fellow humans; his strange friends from another plane of existence – are they good or are they evil? Can he fit in within their group?; his search for love and a family – not matter if it is human or not – a family to love and where he feels he is an integral and important part of it, and most importantly, where is loved back.

(Our thanks to the author Robin Gregory for the copy provided)