The Patron Saint of Ugly

I LOVED this book! Marie Manilla has created a cast of characters so vivid, and interesting, and charming (for the most part), that I just could not put it down. This is mystical realism at its best!

Garnet Ferrari is born in Sweetwater, West Virginia, circa 1950. She's a perfect little red-haired baby, except that her body is entirely covered by port-wine birthmarks showing a map of the world. Garnet's older brother is, of course, the most beautiful little blond-headed child ever to exist, making Garnet feel inadequate, to say the least (the pointing and comments from the neighborhood kids don't help). So Garnet's Nonna Diamante creates the legend of Saint Garnet, a long-ago Sicilian girl who was saved from the flames of Mt. Etna by her devotion to God. Then Garnet starts performing miracles.

The story is told from an interesting perspective - the Church has heard of Garnet and sent an investigator from Rome. He leaves a questionnaire for her to fill out, and she does so by recording a series of tapes for him. So we get the story from Garnet's perspective - mostly (there are some interruptions from Nonna). It's a sad, funny, sometimes tragic story, but the ending is just spectacular.

The Patron Saint of Ugly