Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
Library Journal
August 15, 2007
his collection of linked stories revolves around four young multicultural
Canadian medical students-Fitz, Ming, Chen, and Sri-as they attempt to
balance their lives with the taxing demands of classes and residency in a
highly charged emergency room. They deal with patients' ailments, from
hiccups to a fatal heart attack in a massage parlor; in this case, the
doctor, when talking with the family, has to find a "balance of professing
humanity without invading privacy." Some stories ramble along with little
action-one features the romance between Fitz and Ming, their breakup, and
her eventual marriage to Doctor Chen-but most are action packed and
insightful, including a psychological thriller about a patient who believes
he has been poisoned by the neighbor who's secretly in love with him and
another tale about an outbreak of SARS in the hospital that forces Fitz and
Chen to come to terms with the possibility of their own deaths. Written in a
straightforward manner and including a helpful glossary of medical terms,
this is a good addition to every fiction collection.
© Library Journal 2007