“Sister Jane” by Irmgarde Brown

Sister Jane

Irmgarde Brown
Serey/Jones (2021)
ISBN 978-1881276272
Reviewed By Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (07/2023)

Irmgarde Brown is a retired librarian who spent her career surrounded by imagination, and it shows. Her debut novel, “Sister Jane,” will have readers scratching their heads at this thoughtful, imaginative tale.

Jane is a woman trying to navigate life as a widow. Her husband, Richard died three years earlier and like many, she thinks about their life together. Her memories are not great, but she realizes all the things he took care of and all the things he neglected. One day she is walking to church when she witnesses a cat being hit by a car. She goes to the cat and begins to pray, being sure the cat was gone. To her surprise, the cat opens its eyes and is healed of all its wounds.

Jane is amazed but confused about what has happened. She arrives at church and her friend is cut by a sharp knife in the kitchen. Jane feels the urge to pray for her and when she does, her friend is healed. The events of the day leave Jane confused. She tells her family about what she experienced but they don’t believe her. Her daughter and son-in-law, Nick, think she is crazy and it’s time to place her in a nursing home. When Jane prays over their daughter after a fall, her son-in-law starts to believe her.

Nick is a struggling businessman and dreams of money pouring in using the power that Jane seems to have. A business is spawned, and Jane becomes Sister Jane. Nick schemes and plans a healing service in their town all in the name of the mighty dollar. During the planning, Sister Jane searches herself. She consults a nun, family, and friends for advice. She then becomes the object of the news and the federal government. In the end, she learns much about herself and what the power of healing can do to one’s life.

When I first started reading “Sister Jane” I had trouble relating to it. It’s not a fast-paced story and I didn’t understand what a widow, a cat, and a church had to do with each other. I found myself confused when Jane would be remembering things about her late husband and when she would be praying. As I continued reading, my thoughts changed.

The author has stitched together a story few could think of. She has brought elements of seriousness, fun, suspense, and soul-searching to the story. Sister Jane becomes human when her emotions about her marriage and her newfound gift are laid bare in the words on the page. She is an ordinary woman navigating a new chapter in life with a path she never thought she would be on.

What I appreciated most about the book was that Brown dives into the consequences of a gift like healing. She shares the joy it can bring and the confusion it can stir. Brown gives us a taste of what desperate people will do to be the recipient of a healing miracle. The long-desired gift of living forever can be tragic to a life. Brown also wanders into the realization that some don’t want to be healed. Death is sweet to them.

Overall, “Sister Jane” by Irmgarde Brown is an interesting, thoughtful, and imaginative story. I don’t believe there is anything else like it. I found it an enjoyable book once the first few chapters grabbed my attention; my desire to find out what would happen next peaked. I would recommend this book to readers who want a truly unusual and original story.