By Liz Soares
A badly injured woman arrives in the intensive-care unit of a Seattle hospital, carrying no identification. Days pass as “Jane Doe” clings tenuously to life, but still no one comes forward to claim her as friend or kin.
Charlotte Reece, the ICU doctor assigned to Jane, is troubled by her patient’s loneliness and anonymity. Little does Charlotte know how closely her own life and destiny will be intertwined with Jane’s.
Carol Cassella has written a masterful medical thriller that takes readers deep into the hearts and minds of Charlotte, Jane and the man who connects them.
The story is told from the viewpoints of the two women, with one section narrated by the man. Charlotte is dedicated, independent, and pig-headed—but she discovers that she also desperately wants to have a child.
The reader meets the mystery woman as a young girl, an orphan raised by a loving grandfather who is also, paradoxically, a survivalist. They are poor, yet proud. Moreover, “Jane” has talent, and art is her solace.
A wealthy young man, Bo, comes into Jane’s life one summer. He’s the nephew of the local shopkeepers in the town of Quentin, Washington; a pale, quiet young man who loves to read. Jane thinks he’s weak and unadventurous, but after pranking him a few times to test his mettle, she bonds with him. Then she shares the beauty of her simple life on the majestic Olympic Peninsula.
Their relationship blossoms, but, as Bo reaches to kiss Jane for the first time, he suffers a seizure. He never returns to Quentin. They will meet twice more in their lifetimes, but Bo is sick with a rare, congenital illness that ultimately dooms their love.
Jane never really gets out of Quentin. She studies art in Seattle, but when her grandfather injures himself, she returns home to care for him. Marriage and pregnancy soon follow, tying her to her home ground through both happiness and tragedy.
Finally, she meets a peculiar man who offers her security, but brings only more trouble into her life. Though the reader knows that Jane will eventually end up alone in the ICU, her journey is a sad, yet gripping, tale.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is determined to learn Jane’s identity and story, to put a face and a life to the person who has been reduced to a shell to be monitored, bathed, and lathered with lotion.
The contrast between the two women is jarring. While the reader might wish Jane to be more assertive, her story is all the more compelling because she is not. We pity the woman, a mass of swollen tissue, lying on a hospital bed, but our pain deepens as we learn more about her. She shouldn’t have ended up like this. We understand Charlotte’s desperation. If she can’t keep her patient alive, at least she can restore her humanity and dignity.
In doing so, Charlotte learns the truth about the man she loves, and, ultimately, finds a way to both make her life complete and honor the woman she comes to know as brave, self-sacrificing, and, yes, a victim, though Jane would never want to be known that way. Thanks to Charlotte, her spirit will live on.
Charlotte Reece, the ICU doctor assigned to Jane, is troubled by her patient’s loneliness and anonymity. Little does Charlotte know how closely her own life and destiny will be intertwined with Jane’s.
Carol Cassella has written a masterful medical thriller that takes readers deep into the hearts and minds of Charlotte, Jane and the man who connects them.
The story is told from the viewpoints of the two women, with one section narrated by the man. Charlotte is dedicated, independent, and pig-headed—but she discovers that she also desperately wants to have a child.
The reader meets the mystery woman as a young girl, an orphan raised by a loving grandfather who is also, paradoxically, a survivalist. They are poor, yet proud. Moreover, “Jane” has talent, and art is her solace.
A wealthy young man, Bo, comes into Jane’s life one summer. He’s the nephew of the local shopkeepers in the town of Quentin, Washington; a pale, quiet young man who loves to read. Jane thinks he’s weak and unadventurous, but after pranking him a few times to test his mettle, she bonds with him. Then she shares the beauty of her simple life on the majestic Olympic Peninsula.
Their relationship blossoms, but, as Bo reaches to kiss Jane for the first time, he suffers a seizure. He never returns to Quentin. They will meet twice more in their lifetimes, but Bo is sick with a rare, congenital illness that ultimately dooms their love.
Jane never really gets out of Quentin. She studies art in Seattle, but when her grandfather injures himself, she returns home to care for him. Marriage and pregnancy soon follow, tying her to her home ground through both happiness and tragedy.
Finally, she meets a peculiar man who offers her security, but brings only more trouble into her life. Though the reader knows that Jane will eventually end up alone in the ICU, her journey is a sad, yet gripping, tale.
Meanwhile, Charlotte is determined to learn Jane’s identity and story, to put a face and a life to the person who has been reduced to a shell to be monitored, bathed, and lathered with lotion.
The contrast between the two women is jarring. While the reader might wish Jane to be more assertive, her story is all the more compelling because she is not. We pity the woman, a mass of swollen tissue, lying on a hospital bed, but our pain deepens as we learn more about her. She shouldn’t have ended up like this. We understand Charlotte’s desperation. If she can’t keep her patient alive, at least she can restore her humanity and dignity.
In doing so, Charlotte learns the truth about the man she loves, and, ultimately, finds a way to both make her life complete and honor the woman she comes to know as brave, self-sacrificing, and, yes, a victim, though Jane would never want to be known that way. Thanks to Charlotte, her spirit will live on.
