Wish You Well

Wish You Well is a novel written by David Baldacci. First published in 2001, the story starts with the Cardinal family planning to move from New York to California due to money problems, then shifts to the mountains of Virginia after a car accident leaves the father dead and the mother in a catatonic state. The time period is in the 1940s. The novel was made into a 2013 theatrical film scripted by Baldacci and starring Mackenzie Foy and Ellen Burstyn as a granddaughter and grandmother. Foy and Burstyn both portrayed the character "Murph," at radically different ages, in the film Interstellar the following year. Characters Louisa "Lou" Cardinal – the protagonist of the story. Lou is a 12-year-old girl whose world is thrown into chaos when her father, whom she is very attached to, is killed, and her mother stuck in a comatose state. She eventually goes to live with her great-grandmother, and experiences a completely different lifestyle. She is strong-willed, tough, and a little arrogant, quick to take (and sometimes to give) offense, and very thoughtful and almost openly critical. Still, deep in, she is caring and willing to make sacrifices for those around her. Oscar "Oz" Cardinal – Lou's younger brother. Oz is 7 years old, and is very attached to his mother. When she lands in a catatonic state, he has constant hope that she will get better. heads in a catatonic state, he grabs every minute hope that she will get better. Eternally optimistic, this character is always very innocent, radiant, and joyful, although easily frightened. Still, he is willing to stand up for those he loves, as he proves in the final court case. Oz matures throughout the novel physically, mentally, and spiritually.