The Wonders by Paddy O'Reilly, 279 pagesFame is a fickle beast, as the titular characters of The Wonders find out. Leon had received two unsuccessful heart transplants when a doctor and engineer came together to install a mechanical heart (complete with a see-through, titanium-ribbed enclosure) in his body. Kathryn received an experimental treatment for Huntington's Disease that cured her of the chronic illness, but left her covered from head to toe in black wool. An avant-garde artist, Christos didn't have any life-threatening disease, but chose to use his body for his art and underwent painful surgeries to give him metal wings. Over the course of the book, all three become world famous, performing in a sleek, modern, and exclusive version of a freak show as The Wonders, but as they learn, fame and fortune come with a high price.
O'Reilly presents a modern-day fable about the cult of celebrity, the price of fame, and what it means to be human. It's an engrossing, thought-provoking read, and one I'd recommend.
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