ANDREW ROE reads from his debut novel THE MIRACLE GIRL

The Miracle Girl(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill)

The crowds keep coming. More and more every day it seems . . . drawn by rumor and whisper and desperate wish. Somehow they heard about the little girl on Shaker Street. They come to see eight-year-old Anabelle Vincent, who lies in a comalike state--unable to move or speak. They come because a visitor experienced what seemed like a miracle and believed it was because of Anabelle. Word spread. There were more visitors. More miracles. But is there a connection? And does it matter? Set against the backdrop of the approaching millennium--with all its buzz about reckoning and doom--this impressive debut novel is narrated by Anabelle herself; by her devoted mother, who cares for her child while struggling to make sense of the media frenzy surrounding her; by Anabelle's estranged father, who is dealing with the guilt of his actions; and by the people who come seeking the child's help, her guidance, and her healing. Yet it tells a larger cultural story about the human yearning for the miraculous to be true, about how becoming a believer--in something, anything, even if you don't understand it--can sustain you.

Praise forThe Miracle Girl:

"To believe or not to believe--that is the question facing all who are touched by the comatose 'miracle girl' at the swirling center ofAndrew Roe'sdazzling debut. But more than an exploration of the mysteries of faith, it's also the unforgettable story of one family's struggle against tragedy. The result is an uplifting miracle of a book." --Will Allison, author ofLong Drive Home

"InThe Miracle Girl, we're reminded that the desire for miracles always connotes dissatisfaction, even as it articulates a hope. Roe deftly explores this paradox . . . [and] examines the strange responsibility of being believed in. A stunning, confident debut." --Peter Rock, author ofThe Shelter Cycle

"An incisive and insightful critique of America, investigating where we put our faith and why . . . It's a novel about what it means to be human, to be lost or broken, a little or a lot, and to seek connection and hope and maybe even transcendence in the world around us." --Doug Dorst, author ofS. andAlive in Necropolis

Born and raised in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier, California,Andrew Roehas had his fiction published inTin House, One Story,theSun, Glimmer Train, The Cincinnati Review, Slice, Pank, Avery Anthology, Gigantic, Freight Stories, Failbetter,theGood Men Project,and other literary magazines, as well as the anthologiesWhere Love Is Foundand24 Bar Blues.His nonfiction has appeared in theNew York Times, San Francisco Chronicle,Salon.com,SF Weekly, San Francisco Bay Guardian,and elsewhere.

An alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers andTin HouseWriters Workshop, he has received scholarships from the Getty Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation. Three of his short stories were performed by actors as part of the New Short Fiction Series, LAs longest running spoken word series. Dan Chaon selected his story Job History for the Wigleaf Top 50 Very Short Fictions of 2012, and he has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times, including aOne Storynomination for his story Americas Finest City.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in English/creative writing from San Diego State University, and a master of arts degree in literature from San Francisco State University. For over twenty years, he has worked as a writer and editor in the publishing and software industries. A member of PEN Center USA, he currently lives in Oceanside, California, with his wife and three children.