Book Review: The Probability of Miracles

“The present moment can be chopped into infinitely smaller present moments. This moment is forever. And it is all that matters.”

Rating: 9/10

Synopsis:

Campbell Cooper has cancer and doesn’t see the point in planning for a future she knows she isn’t going to have. Unfortunately, her mom is making her waste what little time she has left on this earth in Promise, Maine; a city known for its miracles. Cam thinks it’s a lost cause but fields of purple dandelions, flamingos in the winter, and a beautiful boy who actually likes her back might just make her change her mind.

Read If You Liked: The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My Thoughts:

This book has affected me in a way that is hard to put into words and I know it will stick with me for a very long time. It will scar you for life, but in a good way... I think? I read it several months ago and I still find my mind drifting back to the beautiful world Wendy Wunder created. Before reading this one, I read one of her other novels, The Museum of Intangible Things. Wunder is a great author and they are both really well-written books, but I think The Probability of Miracles is my favorite of the two. The Museum of Intangible Things was a lot darker and overall less hopeful than this novel is, which made it difficult for me to enjoy.

Regardless, Wunder has a way of writing characters that truly brings them to life for the readers. She makes you feel like they are your best friends and you are tagging along with them through their journeys; which, in this case, makes the story that much more heartbreaking. Knowing it is a book about cancer, one can't really expect a happy ending. As sad as it is though, the side characters help to break up the drama with some much needed comic relief - specifically, Campbell's quirky mother and wild little sister. This isn't to say they are one dimensional though, they add a bit of levity to the story while still providing emotional depth and the support Campbell needs as she navigates life with terminal cancer.

In fact, all of the story’s side characters were thoroughly enjoyable and well-formed. They weren’t just footholds for the plot. Campbell’s grandmother, her veterinarian boss, and the rest of the colorful residents of the strange little town of Promise, Maine held their own pretty well against the formidable sarcastic personality of the main character. It’s not unusual to find a “tough,” cynical outsider as the main character of a YA novel, but Campbell never felt stereotypical to me. Maybe it was her hidden warmth that she only revealed to those she loved the most, or maybe it was her brokenness and loneliness that drew me to her. When reading this book, you will either feel like you are Campbell Cooper or that you know someone like her.

The Probability of Miracles is not for the faint of heart and certainly not for those who try to avoid reading about characters with cancer or the topic of death. I’m not going to lie, this book made me sob big time. But it was a good cry, a cleansing cry, one that everyone needs every once and a while. It managed to be hopeful and inspiring while still making me feel like I was dying of sadness... and it was great! If you’re looking for a chance to have a good old fashioned sob-fest and love well-written characters, this book is definitely the one for you!