First published 1982
Dr. Sarah Chen stares at the chart in her hands, knowing the decision she makes will change everything. Around her, the medical center pulses with life and death decisions that spill into the personal worlds of its staff. Twenty-eight health professionals navigate the complex terrain where their medical duties intersect with their private lives. Nurses balance family obligations with night shifts that drain their energy. Surgeons confront failures in the operating room that follow them home. Residents struggle through grueling schedules while trying to maintain relationships that suffer under the pressure. Each professional faces moments where career ambitions clash with personal values, where medical successes cannot compensate for family failures, and where the weight of patient care affects their own wellbeing. The hospital becomes a crucible where personal and professional identities merge and sometimes fracture. These men and women discover that healing others requires confronting their own vulnerabilities and limitations in ways they never expected.
Genres: fiction, drama, medical, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, work-life-balance
Setting: Medical Center
Period: Contemporary
319 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster