Michelle Stacey
Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher
ISBN: 1585421359
336 Pages
$23.95 (hardcover)

    In the late 1800's, a girl named Mollie Fancher became a strange sort of celebrity when she purportedly went over 12 years on nothing more than a few sips of milk and a small banana following a bizarre horsecar accident. She never again left her bed, and in doing so became known as the "Brooklyn Enigma."
    Although this book is a nonfiction account of Miss Fancher's life and celebrity, Michelle Stacey writes it as if it was a mystery novel. She gives just enough information to entice the reader to the next chapter, interspersing the details of Mollie's life with background information on the Victorian era, early Brooklyn, and the history of neurosis.
    Despite the enthralling nature of the subject, Stacey's writing sometimes drags. The reader finds herself wondering why we need to know this particular piece of information and whether we'll be getting back to the point anytime soon.
    In light of this, however, I would still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good medical mystery. Unfortunately, Mollie died before revealing the secret behind her 14 year fast, so this mystery must remain one for the ages.