Intricacy, complexity, and love?

Oxygen by Carol Cassella

This book cover and title are quite indicative of the story overall. I was utterly fascinated by the intricacies of delivering anesthesia; I never realized just how much is done by an anesthesiologist! Prior to reading this book I assumed an anesthesiologist would simply start "the gas" and then increase or decrease the delivery during the operation. That impression was sooooo wrong! I have met Carol Cassella face-to-face twice now and have been so impressed by her ease of communication and ability to connect; and it is that same forthright straightforward attitude that comes through her writing, particularly in Oxygen, her debut novel. 

I was utterly fascinated by the descriptions of the OR (Operating Room) and interactions among the staff: doctors, nurses, etc. Since I have no direct work experience in the medical professions, this was so enlightening to me. The amount of strict procedures involving the drugs to be prepared for and possibly used before and during surgery are mind-boggling to me, though I'm sure they are, unfortunately, necessary... As I reread bits and pieces of this book to write this review I am struck by the prescience and irony of the following passage:

          "Anesthesia is like aviation--we have backups for our backups, safety nets 
          stashed along the route. Only the human link in the chain comes without an 
          installed flashing red light." (p. 12) 

I am convinced that many times I overlook some of the most obvious "clues" as I read, though I wonder if some of this forewarning does actually register in my subconscious and I'm just well...unaware that it has... Hah! But I digress... Having read Gemini and discussed it with my book club, I am struck by Cassella's skill at interweaving mysteries into her stories alongside brilliantly detailed descriptions. I admit to being mislead as to the identity of the "guilty party" until it was REALLY obvious. I can appreciate an author's skill in accomplishing that! Although there was plenty of guilt and betrayal to go around in this story. 

I could so relate to Marie's inability to "let go" of her own assumed or imagined culpability in the catastrophic events of the OR, particularly with regard to the patient and her family. I appreciated the fact that no one but Joe was cruel enough to ever mention valuing Jolene's life less than any other child's life. I'm uncertain how realistic that might be, but I was appreciative, nonetheless. Each of us born into this world deserves respect and the right to the best life possible.  

Of Joe, Marie's father states, "He strikes me as a man who says a lot less than he says." (p. 244) So...he talks a lot, but really doesn't communicate much information. I do believe that somewhere deep down, Marie was aware, as was her father of something being "off" with Joe. That would certainly explain her reticence in committing to a long-term relationship with him. However, I had never imagined what was really going on with him, or the hospital, both person and institution so willing to commit illegal acts, "throw her under the bus," and thereby save themselves. Boy, oh boy...such betrayal... That is the one thing that has stuck with me so very strongly in the aftermath of reading this book: the betrayal. It was so thorough and so intricately planned. I was literally shaking my head. Yet it was Joe who finally forced Marie to recognize and "live in the now," as Eckhart Tolle would say:

       ...trapped and blind beside Joe, I force myself toward the conscious act of letting 
       go, and wind inwardly closer and closer, tighter and tighter into this moment, this 
       fraction of an instant, this incandescent flicker of time even before the electrical 
       synapse of thinking blisters into a concept of individual being. I exist only now. 
       A now of atoms more vacuous than solid, transiently amalgamated into human 
       before splitting into mineral and water and air, like a personal diaspora, a random 
       dispersion of all that was Marie. The completely profound senselessness of my 
       own existence explodes into its own blissful freedom. There is no impending 
       moment, no past moment, only this one, and without past there is no sorry, and 
       without future there can be no loss. (p. 226) 

For me, this passage is beyond lyricism, on into an even more melodious realm... It also demonstrated for me the power that Marie allowed Joe to exert over her. Although I could relate to these feelings, I think it was at this juncture that I began to suspect Joe of...something. 

I admit to being shocked that hospitals would overwork people making life and death decisions in this way... How can we expect doctors to be sharp enough not to make errors when they have been working 24+ hours with no rest? I rather assumed only Residents were treated this way, and was appalled at that. But hospitals evidently act like any other employers, trying to get by with paying as few staff as possible to handle the workload--with the expectation that each employee will do the work of more than one person. This is not good, in my humble opinion! 

Have you read any of Cassella's three books? What was your reaction? I have now read two, Oxygen and Gemini, and loved them both for their complexity and poignancy. Anxiously anticipating that I'll also like Healer!

So much more to this book than just the cover and title...

Gemini by Carol Cassella

I first read this book roughly one month after its release. Amazingly, I had managed to meet and speak with the author twice by that time! :) She seems to be a genuinely sincere and "nice" person! Beyond that, however, Gemini is definitely up there on my favorite reads for this year, and perhaps overall! I gently (or not so gently!) encouraged the book club I facilitate to read it and we discussed it in December 2014. Of the four of us, one didn't like it at all, one liked it, and two of us loved it! This prompted conversation and discussion that was amazingly diverse, including such topics as scientific validity and genetic analyses, death, the "right to die," medical intervention to keep a body "alive," love, selfishness, and familial influences on adult attitudes and beliefs. It was thought-provoking and enlightening! :)

My challenge for this book review? How to "translate" and condense 4 pages of notes and about 30 stickies placed throughout the book without writing another whole book in the process! ;) One of the things I loved most about this book was the fact that certain scenes/explanations were left up to the reader to interpret. I always feel that makes for a much more personalized reading experience, and great discussion with other readers! That proved true for our book club!

I loved Charlotte, though I do have reservations about her profession, particularly regarding a patient like Raney--keeping a body "alive" when there is no true hope of a return to a "normal" or interactive life. If a body is doomed to remain in a vegetative state, is that "living"? I don't believe so, but then I do believe in reincarnation, so that probably makes it easier for me to "let go" of one lifetime, since many more lifetimes will be experienced by any one soul. Charlotte was definitely an independent person, a feminist, if you will, and she found it difficult to truly "get close" to Eric. One book club member felt Charlotte was selfish, for not compromising or being dissuaded from wanting to establish a family that included children. Personally, I agree with another member who stated that it seems some people are just determined to have their own biological children, while others are not... The overall consensus was that Eric and Charlotte loved each other but wanted very different things from their lives at this point in time... Enter Jake. 

It is Jake for whom I had the most sympathy. He was truly a child with only one person serving as his life's anchor--his mother, Raney. I was so disappointed for Raney (and Bo) when she identified Jake's paternity based upon his physical characteristics at birth, for I truly wanted this baby to be a "love-child." Although we all believed Raney initially accepted Cleet into her life because he filled certain needs by respecting and caring for both her and Jake, he was good looking and a hard worker--we felt she did eventually learn to love Cleet. But in my opinion, she and Bo were true "soul mates." There was seemingly no effort involved for each of them to not only accept, but appreciate and respect the other. Finally, out of pure financial and psychological desperation, Raney brings Dave into their lives as a convenient "provider" and companion. However, this decision carried with it some dire results... 

How ironic and tragic that Raney helps her grandfather avoid institutionalization, but only a guardian ad litem, a total stranger to her, in conjunction with her medical team, oversees her own care. Her "husband" (I'm using this term loosely.) David refused to participate, not only denying Jake access to her, but also lying to him about her unexpected and sudden departure. This prompted discussion of living wills and self-selected medical advocates, both of which each of us should have prepared, even if we do have children! Interestingly, two of us have legally appointed friends to serve as our medical advocates, thus relieving our own children of the ultimate responsibility to "choose," if we are ever find ourselves in a similar predicament in the future. 

We also considered the possibility of "fatal flaws" in individuals' genetic codes, particularly with regard to bearing children and possibly passing those flaws along to future generations. There were mixed reactions among us as we discussed various scenarios where our genetic code could influence us to make certain life-altering decisions. Personally, I don't want to know... Firstly, just how accurate is this "analysis" and how can we know exactly what the chances are of transmission to future generations? (In my opinion, we can't...) After all, "scientific knowledge" is "man-made"--it is us trying to make sense of our world. That is not to diminish its value, but I believe it would be dangerous to ever consider it to be absolute, because it isn't...rather, it is  ever-changing as new "discoveries" occur. 

It was fascinating to consider the reasons behind each of these characters' decisions and life development. I was so very sad for Bo and Raney, as well as Jake, though by the book's end I was thrilled for the new beginnings and optimistic about the future... My description of these characters may seem very confusing, but trust me, it all makes sense in the end! Such depth and complexity underlies this deceptively brilliant story line...and that is what I appreciate most about this book. 

Exactly who was responsible for Raney's accident? None of us felt certain, even after rereading the passage aloud. And to what degree did it really matter? In my opinion, Dave was already destroying both Raney and Jake psychologically; it was a simple extension to imagine him harming her physically. And...did Charlotte finally decide not to keep providing mechanical life to a human body? Or did she follow the usual protocol and continue with  medical interventions? But...what would you do? 

As many people may already know, Gemini is an astrological sign referring to "twins." So, where are the "twins" in this book? I highly recommend you read it to answer these questions for yourself! And aren't these two adorable?!? :)