Dr.
Marie Heaton takes great pride and pleasure in guiding her patients
into the land of Nod so they can have their gallbladder out, their
knee replaced or their baby delivered without pain and often even
without awareness. She loves her job until the unbearable happens
--- an eight-year-old girl under her care dies in surgery, despite
all her best efforts. The crisis leads her to question not only her
professional competence but also her personal relationships. And
yet, even as she carefully documents each methodical step she took
and each drug she administered, she is haunted by
inconsistencies.

This first-person narrative works on many levels --- as a mystery,
as an exposé of the sometimes brutal juncture of the medical
and legal professions, as a family drama, and as a romance of
sorts. Marie has never found time for a husband. "I never meant to
dam myself off from those. I just knew they would require careful
scheduling." In the aftermath of the child's death she feels more
alone than ever. Taking a painful leave of absence from her duties
while the investigation proceeds, Marie faces a different sort of
challenge --- her aging father's demise, and the realization that
if she is ever going to mend her relationship with him, now is the
time. Meanwhile, new knowledge comes to light through the child's
autopsy that seems to implicate Marie even further. The hospital
begins to back away from her, and there is the specter of criminal
charges being filed against her, on top of the malpractice
suit.

Through this difficult time, Marie takes some comfort in the
rejuvenation of a former love affair with Joe, another
anesthesiologist on the hospital staff. As their relationship heats
up, more clues trickle in about the real cause of the child's
death. Marie must uncover and face some unpleasant truths to clear
her name.

This novel is written with a clear, even hand, and the reader feels
like a part of the heady world of high-stakes surgery. Carol
Cassella, a practicing anesthesiologist herself, shows skill in
giving us enough medical detail to understand the nuances of the
case without overwhelming us. Marie's guilt and her desire for the
mother's forgiveness are well-drawn without being overdone. It
would have been easy to get maudlin here, and I applaud the author
for not doing so. (I think she's a much better writer than Jodi
Picoult, with whom she is compared on the cover flap.) There are
some great lines here, such as "It is our job to rage against the
dying of the light."

Marie is an appealing character --- smart but compassionate, needy
but not blinded by her needs. In the end she saves herself with
some timely medical sleuthing, although the answers come at a high
personal price. All in all, OXYGEN is a great read with some juicy
surprises.