Setting: San Francisco
Characters: Paige Taylor (surgeon) and Jason Curtis (architect)
Secondary Characters: Honey Taft and Kat (both are doctors ,
too)
Genre: medical thriller
Publication date: 1994
Summary:
This medical
thriller tells the story of three female doctors trying to prove themselves in
a profession dominated by men. Each of them has their own story, and each of
their tales are well connected and intertwined with each other. But suddenly
there is chaos, one dies, another is about to get the hospital shut down, and
the third faces the death penalty for murder. (credits: WIKIPEDIA)
Reflection
I only knew that
this book was published in 1994 when I researched about it right after reading
the entire novel. When you are an avid
reader of his works, you’ll know that his style is weaving intricate twists and turns. Indeed, Sheldon
has proven to the world that he is one of the greatest master storytellers. With
this book, eventhough it was a bit old, it didn’t fail to give me the suspense
I was dreading. I like that it is a medical thriller and it gives three
different views about three women. So, here are some positive notes from the
book:
1. It gives light
to gender discrimination. Paige, Honey and Kat were treated as if they don’t
belong to the medical field. Male doctors referred to them as ladies or judging
them as incapable and incompetent. Not only doctors, mind you, but also with
their patients. Nevertheless, they proved to be deserving of title and respect.
2. Honey received
the highest grades and commendation from her school; however, during the
internship, she was incompetent. The grades she got were all obtained by
seducing her professors , even the dean. She learned the art of lovemaking
because she felt that she was valued when men gained pleasure through her. Her lack
of self-confidence escalated because of this and eventually, she got away from
being sacked from her school and work through her sexpertise.
A person cannot
be judged without looking at her past. Honey was a wallflower and much more,
she came from a family of geniuses and beauties. They made sure that she was
the odd one out. Her family only accepted her when she started gaining
attention from the school and the males.
3. Kat was a
black doctor. She was also discriminated because of her color. At an early age,
she was raped by her step-father and when she confessed to her mum, she refused
to believe. She didn’t have a choice but to leave her brother behind and live
with her aunt. Later on, she found out that she was pregnant. She decided to
abort the child and found an inspiration to become a doctor.
In the hospital,
she was labeled as the manhater because no matter how the doctors try, they cannot
get hold of her until she played a game with Dr. Mallory. Dr. Mallory and the
other doctors placed a bet of 10,000 dollars to see if he could have sex with her. Kat knew about
this and she tried to play it cool with him. Like all women who feel like they could
changed someone, she believed it. She fell inloved. She lost. She got pregnant. Mallory killed her.
Overall, it was
an unfortunate life for Kat. She was highly intelligent and skilled but she was
just unlucky.
4. Paige’s life
as a kid revolved around the third world countries. She traveled with her
father who was a WHO doctor and Alfred, the son of another doctor. They were
sweethearts for so long until Paige was brought back to the city to live and
her father was killed in a tribal war. They remained corresponding but when
Alfred visited her, she was surprised that he got married. She busied herself
with work and then she met, Jason Curtis, a rich and renowned architect.
But the center of
the story was Paige’s court case. She was accused of murdering her patient with
million dollars involved. She was a victim of circumstance and jealousy of her
colleagues. In the end, she was acquitted and married Jason Curtis.
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