Pain Killers: A Year in an ER

“A delightful medical drama that’s infused with gallows humor.” –Kirkus ReviewsA nurse with a secret. A doctor with baggage. A hospital full of stories no chart could capture. A found family created by the crazy quilt of an emergency room’s hectic year.Written by a former ER physician, Pain Killers is a sly, comic medical novel capturing the spirit of an emergency room in all its bureaucratic mess, profound tragedy, and gallows humor. The story is revealed in quick, addictive bites through the ephemera of true-to-life physicians’ notes, witty off-the-record logbook entries, posted ads for cars and puppies, and threats against lunch thieves. It’s an unusual love story that doesn’t end with a kiss—it begins with one.

The year is 1978. Mary Grace Kelly flees to a new city with a set of scrubs, a nursing license, and a secret. She hopes to hide in this bustling blur of cranky patients and even crankier physicians. Complaining to her sister back home, Mary Grace’s letters describe her arrogant, infuriating colleague Dr. David Korn, who wears his sarcasm like another white coat. But when her therapy sessions land her in a waiting room with this man, her irritation turns into intrigue. Their reluctant bond deepens until her father’s illness yanks Mary Grace back into her unresolved trauma.

David’s sexual frustrations leak out with wry, Jewish humor in notes to his brother. His sibling is quick to point to David’s past relationship failures as evidence that he’s a “self-indulgent bastard.” For all his bluster, David wants something more meaningful but knows his family will never approve of his relationship with Catholic Mary Grace. She’s challenging all his preconceived notions, but does he have the patience to wait for her to find the healing she needs?

A vaudevillian uncle, a retired nun, and an elderly vagrant conspire to help Mary Grace find her way. But she must first learn to trust again.

The fast-paced, epistolary style of Pain Killers allows the reader to eavesdrop on the controlled chaos in emergency care. Before desktop computers, the relentless rhythm of the ER was documented through a heap of administrative paperwork. Callaghan skillfully weaves a story from this patchwork, revealing the humanity behind the charts and clipboards in short snatches dripping with subtext. Like the emergency room it chronicles, Pain Killers taps the vein between protocol and improv.

Rx for busy readers on the goPrescribe this book to readers jonesing for the insider grit of medical fiction compounded with the warmth of a romantic dramedy microdosed in snippets. Severe to moderate distraction may failing to notice you’ve been called to dinner, you’ve missed your subway stop, or your professor has asked what you’re reading. Take as needed to alleviate symptoms of boredom, existential nausea, or the yearning for human connection.