Oxygen

Written by Carol Cassella

Narrated by Jennifer Ikeda

Carol Cassella, a freelance medical writer and a practicing anesthesiologist, grounds her haunting debut novel Oxygen in the life-or-death scenarios of the modern medical field. Marie Heaton's successful anesthesiology practice is derailed when a child dies under the mask. Faced with a major lawsuit, she must turn to a former lover for moral support.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781436144612

Carol Cassella

Carol Cassella, MD, is a practicing anesthesiologist, novelist, and speaker. She majored in English literature at Duke University and attended Baylor College of Medicine. She is the bestselling author of the novels Gemini, Oxygen, and Healer, published by Simon & Schuster. Carol lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, with her husband and two sets of twins. Visit the author at CarolCassella.com.

Reviews for Oxygen

[sallyelizabethmurphy · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very disappointing

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. I wonder what would have happened if the genders of the main doctors were reversed.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Story of an anesthesiologist and a surgery that had complications resulting in the death of a young patient, and the aftermath as the anesthesiologist faces a trial, a malpractice suit, and the guilt of what she missed, causing the death of the child.

[neddludd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In sports, there are numerous occasions where a young and inexperienced team plays with passion and adrenalin to lead a deeper, more experienced, more talented team--for three quarters. Then, in the last segment of the game, experience and talent wins out and the younger team loses in the last seconds. The first half of this book in quite good in describing the motivations, work life, heroism, and compassion of a 30-something female anesthesiologist. Here's why she chose her specialty, how she aids her patients, the drugs she prescribes, the satisfactions and challenges she faces every day. Cassella, is, in fact, an anesthesiologist so she is describing her own world and it rings true and compelling. However, she is not as effective in rendering other characters and their motivations. The heroine is alienated from her father and this relationship is not mined sufficiently to provide the reasons and origins of this rift. On the other hand, the heroine has a very close relationship with her sister, and these passages are quite good in their depiction of two siblings relying upon each other as reality checks. There is one catastrophic event on which the book turns, and this is its biggest flaw. In the first half, the character seeks to understand precisely what has happened and she's knocked for a loop. The problem is resolved in the last pages and it does not ring true. As a reader, you have invested too much to have a few pages reveal the truth. Many characters turn out to be cynical and immoral, and again, there's minimal detailing or explanatory text. It's too simple to say a predator kills because he is a predator; humans have complex, multi-causal drives, and the second half of this novel cries out for more depth and dimension. It's a cliche that writers convey best what they know, and here that's proven anew in the first half of the book. It's in creating a fictional world, using words to transform imagination, that great writers reveal their powers. That's what the work lacks.

[voracious_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Marie is an anesthesiologist who works in a busy Seattle hospital. One day, a child in surgery with dies on her operating table, calling into question her role in the child's death. When the mother sues the hospital, Marie begins to question her ability to care for children while obsessively absorbing herself in research in an attempt to figure out why the child died. In the course of this, she is forced to take a leave of absence and becomes isolated from her peers at the hospital. Her friend/boyfriend Joe tries to support her but since he is a fellow anesthesiologist at the hospital, there are limits as to how much Marie can share with him. This novel was an interesting perspective on the role of anesthesiologists and the risks incurred by practicing medicine where life and death hang in the balance in even routine cases. The negative impact of malpractice suits on both the victims and the doctors makes the reader understand that there really are no winners when it comes to these tragic situations. I enjoyed this novel although it was somewhat slow in the middle. It took a twist I didn't fully anticipate, which made the ending better, though not fully resolved.

[cat1ballou · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

From this book, I learned that just because you can put good words together, you're not guaranteed a good narrative or plotline. Come on, give me a twist I can't see coming.

[bhowell_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Oxygen is an excellent medical thriller with heart.

[dissed1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book, but felt like the author had one good idea that wasn't quite enough for a whole book, so she plumped up the middle with unrelated filler--not that the filler was necessarily uninteresting, but why include it? It didn't relate to or serve the main storyline, in my opinion. The beginning of Oxygen, where the story's tragic action occurs and the twist in the ending are highly readable, dramatic and consuming. Ms. Cassella is an excellent wordsmith. A more thoughtful plotline could have propelled this novel into laudable territory.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surgeon's tend to get the glory but the anesthesiologist has an essential role in the operating theatre. It's not one I have ever given much thought to and I was completely captivated by Casella's examination of the profession.Dr Marie Heaton is a skilled and dedicated doctor whose life is thrown into turmoil when a child dies from complications related to the anesthesia she received during a reasonably routine procedure. Marie agonises over the child's death, and much of the story explores the difficulty Marie has in coming to terms with it, especially when it seems she may somehow be at fault. As her professional life disintegrates around her, Marie seeks solace in the distant relationships she has with her family and her colleague, Joe, but only with her all her questions answered will she accept the inevitable.Oxygen has a quiet resonance and lyrical tone that draws the reader into the emotional journey of the character. While some may find it a bit slow I was caught up in Marie's tragedy, not just at the loss of her patient but also her isolation and fear. The book explicitly communicates the weight medical professionals carry, and while I may envy them their financial recompense I can certainly see how it is deserved when it is so absorbing. Even though at times I think there was a little too much repetitive angst, my sympathy and empathy remained with Marie.Cassella humanises the necessary medical language and procedurals with skill, able to do so I would imagine because it is her experience with the profession. The book illustrates the dedication and knowledge required to care for patients, and the responsibility medical professionals have. Cassella also speaks to the problems in modern day health care, and particularly the legal vulnerability of hospitals and doctors in situations where things go wrong. Marie is almost entirely helpless once there is legal involvement and as things drag out, the tension increases.The twist at the end is not wholly unexpected but particularly confronts the fragile construct of our faith in health care.Thought provoking and absorbing, Oxygen is a stunning, complex novel. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

[plm1250 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An experienced Seattle anesthesialogist finds herslef faced with malpractice lawsuit after a child she put to sleep dies in the OR. A well written , realistic medical novel.

[mizcat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

interesting, not specatular

[porchsitter55 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a well written tale about a female anesthesiologist and her worst nightmare, the death of an 8 year old patient during surgery. Marie was horrified, not only because of the death, but that the death may have been caused by an error on her part. Her dear friend and once-upon-a-time lover Joe, tries to comfort Marie and make her understand that she was not to blame for the death and should try not to carry the burden of blame.I liked the first part, but then out of nowhere, the story moved off into another "scene"...where Marie visits her estranged father for the first time in years. She spends a few uncomfortable days with him, trying to help him, as he is going blind and is getting to the point where he may need to hire some help or move into assisted living. Then the story goes back to the hospital where the death occurred and all the preparation for the pending lawsuit brought about by the decedent's mother. Marie learns that the hospital believes that indeed she was at fault for the death, at least that is what she is told. In reality, the hospital is trying to save it's good name by transferring the blame on Marie. Even criminal charges may be filed against her.In general, I found the book to be very good. I still wasn't crazy about the switch in the middle of the book with her and her father, but it wasn't bothersome enough for me to stop reading the book. Overall, the book was enjoyable and the ending made up for any problems elsewhere. I recommend!

[sugarcreekranch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oxygen is the story of Marie Heaton, a respected anesthesiologist. An eight-year old girl dies during non-critical surgery. It is not clear whether Dr Heaton is actually at fault, but she is nevertheless left facing a lawsuit and criminal charges. This is not a “medical thriller”. It is more of a “medical drama”, with some who-dun-it. The characters and situations ring true. The story explores Dr. Heaton’s emotions and coping mechanisms, as well as the reactions of all the players in Dr Heaton’s professional and personal life. The story is very plausible, but there are some interesting angles to the story. Amazon’s description of this book compares Carol Cassella to Jodi Picoult. I agree that Picoult fans are likely to enjoy this work, but it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as a Picoult novel. I think this may be because the novel is written in first person, but the text is often verbose and narrative rather than conversational. It feels like Dr Heaton is keeping herself at arm’s length, and I don’t know her as well as I’d like to.

[bachaney · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Carol Cassella's "Oxygen" is a novel about a doctor on the edge and questioning her career and life choices. The doctor, Marie Heaton, is an anesthesiologist working at a Seattle hospital. When a child dies inexplicably while in Dr. Heaton's care, her whole life is thrown into turmoil. In the midst of the inevitable malpractice lawsuit, Dr. Heaton begins to question her life choices--her never-ending work at the hospital, her relationship with her family, her lack of a love life. The novel takes you into Dr. Heaton's head as she deals with all of these issues, and the reader goes through the realization and reckoning process along with Marie.Although the book jacket for this novel reads like a "Grey's Anatomy" knock off, "Oxygen" is a very different type of tale. Dr. Marie Heaton is older, more mature, and has a very different perspective on life than her counterparts at that other fictional Seattle hospital. This difference makes the book enjoyable--because it's something different from your standard hospital drama fair. "Oxygen" is not perfect however. There are parts of the novel that drag--and then when the pace does pick up, the book is over literally pages later. The main character comes off as a bit cold and hard to identify with at times, and the rest of the characters are really caricatures. The book does have a twist which makes it worth reading to the end, though. I would recommend this book to someone interested in medical ethics and women's life choices, since these themes are heavily featured throughout the book.

[readingrebecca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Carol Cassella, the author of Oxygen, has written an engaging medical thriller. This is the story of Marie Heaton, a 37-year-old anesthesiologist, who has worked for the last seven years at a large Seattle Hospital, earning the respect of her colleagues. She has finally paid off her student loans and is leading a fairly comfortable life. Her story is told in the first person. The author is herself an anesthesiologist and I found the beginning of the book very interesting as she explains what happens to the human body when anesthesia is introduced. Dr. Heaton’s life is suddenly sent into a tailspin when an 8-year-old little girl, in for a routine surgery, dies on the operating table. There is no apparent cause and Dr. Heaton goes over and over the case, trying to figure out what went wrong. She is suddenly thrown into the world of lawyers and malpractice insurance and colleagues who want to avoid her. The reader is also introduced to Marie Heaton’s family and her close friend, another anesthesiologist. As the story progresses we learn more and more about who Dr. Heaton is and how she got to this place in her life. I found the writing engaging, beautifully worded. The author writes beautifully, sentences flowing with great imagery so that you can clearly see the room, feel the heat, picture the person. I do feel the story bogged down just a little in the middle with Dr. Heaton agonizing over the loss of her patient. But then, perhaps that is a very accurate portrait of the despair one feels day-to-day when one has suffered the loss of confidence in one’s job, the loss of stature among one’s colleagues, and when one is embroiled in the politics and intrigue of the big business of health care. There are surprising twists at the end. Overall I would highly recommend this book for those who enjoy well written medical thrillers.

[caroline123_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist in a large Seattle hospital. She loves her job and does it well until one day an 8 year old girl dies on the table. This book held my attention all the way through. Marie goes through much anguish and is requested to take a leave of absence even though she is not criminally charged yet! The suspense goes on as more details are revealed upon the young girl's autopsy. Marie questions her abilities. A former lover and fellow anesthesiologist, Joe Hillary is there to comfort Marie as she travels to Texas to find relief visiting with her sister and father. The ending has a surprise twist. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading more by this author.

[jules72653 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! Story details the life of 37 year old anesthesiologist Marie Heaton working in Seattle. Marie unfortunately loses an 8 year old patient on the operating table despite her best efforts. There are several relationship issues going on in this book, Marie and her co-workers, Marie and her sister, Marie and her father, all are woven expertly together for a satisfying read. The end held a few surprises and had me reading well after midnight to finish this gem.