See the hottest books publishing this Summer

Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Maybe A Miracle

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Maybe A Miracle by Brian Strause

Maybe A Miracle

by Brian Strause
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (2):
  • First Published:
  • Oct 1, 2005, 368 pages
  • Paperback:
  • May 2006, 384 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Maybe A Miracle

Print Review

Brian Strause was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and now lives in Silver Lake, California.  In the interview, which you can read in full at BookBrowse, he answers a number of questions including the inevitable one asked of first time authors - whether Maybe A Miracle is based on his own experiences.  To which he replies: 

"They say to write what you know, but unfortunately the life I've lived isn't exactly chock-full of drama. And indeed, I grew up in Columbus on an idyllic street in a storybook neighborhood. But it's not like Blue Velvet, where it was sordid once you start peeling back the layers. It was all quite painfully normal. Which is all to say, my own family – while incredibly supportive of me – are not particularly helpful when it comes to making up stories.....In a lot of ways Maybe a Miracle is a sibling love story, but unfortunately I don't have a sister. Writing this book, though, allowed me to imagine what that dynamic might be like and by placing his sister in a coma from the very beginning I figured I'd be giving an eighteen-year-old boy the opportunity to be reflective about that relationship in a way he otherwise wouldn't have had.  I guess that's what I like most about writing – I can put myself into situations I never would have the opportunity to inhabit in real life. That's what attracted me to this story. I could throw myself in the middle of a so-called miracle and see how I might react.'

Filed under

This article relates to Maybe A Miracle. It first ran in the November 30, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Lamplighter's Bookshop
    by Sophie Austin
    The Lost Bookshop meets The Lost Apothecary in a beguiling novel full of secrets…

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Making Friends Can Be Murder
    by Kathleen West

    Thirty-year-old Sarah Jones is drawn into a neighborhood murder mystery after befriending a deceptive con artist.

  • Book Jacket

    Ordinary Love
    by Marie Rutkoski

    A riveting story of class, ambition, and bisexuality—one woman risks everything for a second chance at first love.

Who Said...

If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B a L

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.