Neil Connelly

Reviews and Commentary 

Booklist (starred review)

The power and danger of religion receives a realistic, gutsy--and yet moving spiritual--examination in this ambitious and graceful drama.  “You ain’t special,” is what 19-year old Andi tells her 6-year old brother, Daniel, over and over.  It’s for his own protection:  ever since he was rescued from a well on national TV as a baby, he’s been known as “Miracle Boy,” and his prayers and touches had purportedly remedied everything from stillborns to arthritis.  Despite Andi’s objections, her devout mother feels it is their duty to help others--especially during the Paradise Days festival that, it is hoped, will bring tourists back to their struggling town.  Andi is a remarkably protagonist, a no-bullshit atheist convinced that this “superstitious crap” will damage her brother.  Secondary characters breathe just as deeply:  a horribly scarred but gentle reverend; Andi’s ex-boyfriend, dragged into her dangerous Anti-Miracle Plan; and a creepy lurker known as Scarecrow who wants to “test” Daniel.  Rarely has the dilemma of miracles been articulated so succinctly; if people start changing for the better, is it a miracle regardless of the impetus?  Connelly writes with such calm assurance--never too much, never too little--that what could have been an overwhelming epic is instead a slim book that reads with miraculous speed.--Daniel Kraus

Publisher's Weekly

Big questions of faith, vocation, the power of prayer, and the possibility of miracles weave throughout this provocative and suspenseful tale, in which inexplicable occurrences in nature and interpersonal relationships lead individuals and communities to deep spiritual longings. How could a three-year-old boy survive being buried alive for three days? Why would a loving father abandon his family? Did a long-dead woman's curse cause a lake's fish to die? Nineteen-year-old Anderson narrates her rationalistic battle against her mother and the townspeople of Paradise, Pa., who blend superstitious beliefs with testimonial-based, community-led Christian worship, and perceive Daniel's astonishing rescue as a miraculous sign. When neighbors begin attributing healings and transformations to her brother, now six years old, and demanding his prayers, Anderson reminds Daniel, "you ain't special." Increasingly frightened for Daniel's safety and well-being, she undertakes a plan to dispel belief in Daniel's "special" powers, at great personal risk. Deftly avoiding stereotypes and caricatures, Connelly (Michael's Scales) creates an alternately ominous and wholesome atmosphere in which the mysteries of friendship, hope, sacrifice, love, and prayer reveal a community's spiritual complexity.

Kirkus Review

Can religious fervor spur economic development? And should it? Three years ago, the citizens of the small town of Paradise, Penn., witnessed a miracle—or at least they chose to believe they did—when three-year-old Daniel was pulled from a collapsed well after being trapped for three days. Following Daniel’s rescue, cancers were cured, adoptions approved and babies conceived—all miracles attributed to Daniel. Fast-forwarding three years, Paradise has fallen on harsh times, and Daniel is called to pray at the bedside of a pregnant woman with a history of difficulties. A baby named Miracle is born, and news of the birth spreads across the country, attracting pilgrims seeking Daniel’s intercession to Paradise.  At this story's core is Daniel's teenage sister, Andi, the clear-voiced narrator who is determined to protect Daniel from the pilgrims' fanaticism, and those in the town hoping to benefit from his fame.  A thought-provoking examination of the power of faith and the human desire for a savior.

 Horn Book 

Since Andi's little brother, Daniel, miraculously survived a disaster as a baby, he has increasingly become the focus of those who seek miracles of their own and believe that he can help them. As the legend of Daniel grows, their father abandons the family, and a very angry Andi becomes disillusioned with organized religion. She is constantly at odds with her mother and other church members who seemingly have no problem exploiting Daniel, but as the religious fervor builds to a fever pitch, Andi has several encounters with a creepy stalker, finds comfort in conversation with an enigmatic preacher, and rekindles an old flame. When she thinks up a plan that should rid Daniel of the unhealthy adulation once and for all, a second disaster ensues, and Andi must come to terms with the nature of faith, hope, and miracles. Andi's internal journey from faith to cynicism and back again (sort of) is handled with exceptional skill. It's a rare and welcome portrait of a girl trying to navigate teenage angst, family dysfunction, and religious belief.

There was a time when Anderson Grant believed.  She never doubted the goodness of the people at her church. She trusted both her parents.  And she felt unshakeable faith in a kind and all-powerful God. 

But then a freak accident nearly killed Daniel, her three year old brother.  After his rescue, strange rumors about Daniel began spreading around town.  The faithful claimed he could intercede with Jesus, cleanse a soul, heal the sick, even raise the dead.

The media trumpeted Daniel as a Miracle Boy, and the number of those believing in him swelled. They descended on Anderson's small town, along with a horribly scarred preacher and a deranged stalker.  Now Anderson is certain of only one thing:  she has to stop this.

With the help of her once-and-maybe-future boyfriend Jeff, she dreams up a dangerous scheme that will forever cast doubt on Daniel’s so-called divine gifts. If it works.

But as the plan comes together, the true believers grow more bold, the psycho stalker draws near, and the disfigured preacher challenges

Anderson’s resolve.  She finds herself wrestling with her own beliefs in God and her brother, and she’s left wondering if what she really needs to save Daniel might just be a miracle of her own.

"The Miracle Stealer has a story that enthralls from the very beginning and increases in suspense with each page.  What makes this book extraordinary, however, is the utterly believable and heartfelt portrayal of a young woman's search for a faith she can claim as her own."     --Francisco X. Stork, author of Marcelo in the Real World and The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

"The Miracle Stealer is a riveting story about the conflict faith can cause between families and loved ones and the doubt it raises from deep inside us.  This novel will leave you breathless, wondering about the nature and possibility of miracles well after you've turned the last page."  --Donna Freitas, author of  The Possibilities of Sainthood and This Gorgeous Game