An impassioned story about resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
Catherine ‘Kit’ Wilson is the first to admit that nursing is not a career for the faint of mind or heart, but she can’t imagine herself doing anything else. It is 2021 and Thompson Memorial Hospital, like medical facilities around the globe, is overflowing with COVID-19 patients. Though Kit has been working as a nurse for several years, her education and experience could never prepare her for the toll this pandemic is taking on everyone. Healthcare workers at TMH are outwardly praised for their self-sacrificing spirit but are not given the support they need to thrive, or maybe even survive. These dauntless nurses are left physically, mentally, and emotionally drained and the light at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel has yet to make an appearance. Kit can’t imagine where she would be if it weren’t for a compassionate boyfriend and an empathetic grandmother to offer support. Still, when mandatory overtime is compounded with infections that hit close to home, apartment woes, and disciplinary action at work, Kit is losing her ability to practice level-headed nursing. “Sick and tired of being sick and tired,” she’s going to have to find something more effective than hot baths and long walks if she wants to keep her license and her sanity.
This book may fall under fiction, but honestly, it doesn’t get much more real than the unrelenting struggles of Kit’s day-to-day life as a front-line worker in ReCreating Normal. The author whisks readers on a short rewind back to the height of pandemic intensity and brings the sharply divided opinions on the handling of the virus into clear focus. One vivid storyline focuses on an angry conflict between a fellow nurse and an irascible patient at THC who harbors a dissenting viewpoint. Kit feels torn between supporting her coworker, protecting her job, and clinging to an eroding sense of compassion for her patients. With such an inflammatory subject, it is enlightening to examine multiple perspectives on COVID-19 with the spotlight on caring for the sick and keeping everyone else healthy. While Kit’s emotional story arc is about regaining hope and stability, her demeaning nature and narrow viewpoint make her tough to connect with. Still, she becomes more likable as she gains a wider perspective and lets go of her own resentment. Capturing the essence of our shared experiences, ReCreating Normal is an impassioned story about resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
