First published 1992
Jesse Vogel has dedicated his life to precision. As a neurosurgeon, he holds human lives in his hands with steady control. But beneath his professional composure lies the wreckage of his childhood, when tragedy destroyed his family and left him alone. The operating room offers Jesse a place where he can save lives, where his skill matters more than his past. Yet the memories refuse to stay buried. The boy who lost everything still lives inside the accomplished doctor, and Jesse must confront whether his drive to heal others can ever repair what was broken in himself. This is a story about survival and the price of moving forward when the past refuses to let go.
Genres: literary-fiction, medical, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
511 pages · Paperback · Ontario Review Pr
Content warnings: mental-illness