The Miracles of Ordinary Men

Sam, a high school English teacher who has been on a downward spiral since his fiancée left him two years ago, wakes up one morning to discover that he has sprouted wings on his back. It is unclear at first whether this is actually happening to him or if he suffering from a delusion. The wings are invisible to almost everyone, save a particularly empathic and attentive female student as well as his family's former priest, whom Sam seeks out after the sudden death of his mother. Sam's story is told in alternating chapters with that of Lilah, a lost soul who falls into an abusive affair with her violent and charismatic boss while trying to keep tabs on her beloved brother, a troubled youth who has taken to living on the streets of Vancouver. These two seemingly unconnected stories don't intersect until nearly the end of the book, culminating in a spectacular apotheosis.