The Book Nook

History Repeats Itself   If you’ve noticed a rise in pandemic-related books, you’re right.  Fiction and non-fiction markets have lots to offer, although the quality of some suggest they were hastily written to take advantage of timing.  Happily, that’s not the case with “The Pull of the Stars” by Emma Donoghue, a gripping novel that captures life during the 1918 influenza outbreak. Donoghue was Inspired by the centenary of the 1918 pandemic and started her novel in the fall of 2018, unaware that COVID-19 was looming.  The final draft was submitted in March 2020, when the pandemic was altering life as we knew it.  The book was released in July, and while that’s a quick turnaround, it’s clear she did her research to provide a realistic story that takes us to an eerily similar point in time. In 1918, Dublin was already battling poverty and war when the dangerous new flu hit.  The book spans a three-day period in the life of nurse-midwife Julia Power, who works at a hospital challenged by dwindling staff and supplies.  The lack of workers is due mostly to people enlisting in the war and the new flu strain is further thinning the ranks.  Julia’s team works in a tiny makeshift maternity ward intended to quarantine pregnant women who have contracted influenza. She’s used to shifts that are firmly regimented by her supervisor, so after being told she’s temporarily on her own due to staff shortages, she’s frightened and excited by the unexpected responsibility.  Knowing she can’t manage it all on her own, she begs for assistance and is given a young volunteer.  Julia is grateful for the help and that the new girl catches on quickly. Also new to the hospital is something rare – a female physician.  Dr. Kathleen Lynn is a rumored Rebel on the run from police.  Her gender and political past scandalize some staff, and Julia is unsure what to think.  While the doctor’s unlawful activities raise eyebrows, there is a shortage of doctors and Dr. Lynn provides skilled and compassionate care.  Julia finds it refreshing to have a doctor who doesn’t treat nurses and patients as inferiors. Her job is difficult enough, given the inherent dangers posed by early 20th century childbirth.  Adding an aggressive and relatively unknown disease increases the risk for patients and caregivers alike.  Julia understands that maintaining a professional appearance is reassuring to patients, but sometimes she finds it hard to do.  When a tragic situation takes her to a crucial turning point, she’ll need all of her courage. We get a tiny glimpse of Nurse Power’s home life, where she shares an apartment with her brother Tim.  He returned from the war sadly changed and Julia wishes she knew how to help her shell-shocked sibling.  But the bulk of the story occurs at work, where Julia continually rises to the occasion in spite of long hours and little sleep. This compelling tale is divided into four sections that are explained early in the novel.  Donoghue avoids using quotation marks, which serve to highlight Julia’s diminishing energy levels.  Her clever wit and nimble writing pull readers in quickly and gives them a sense of the turmoil people felt.  Her depiction of some graphic scenes may be discomforting, but there’s no denying Donoghue’s ability to paint understandable pictures that hold a space for social commentary. Another positive feature was the cooperative bonds Julia shared with her volunteer that got them through grindingly long shifts.  The feverish and dramatic end may bring some tears, but the gripping narrative provides an excellent feel for the terror of the times and stresses the importance of human connections. Initial reluctance to read about another pandemic melted due to the author’s effective use of humor and providing a framework for comparing the two events.   In 1918, people wearing masks that look “like the beaks of unfamiliar birds” must have added to the strangeness, and we can now relate to how that feels.  Another parallel was the helplessness and apprehensive experienced by many when facing dangerous unknowns.  We saw how this could bring out the worst in people as stress levels rose with mortality rates. Contrasting the differences brought me a sense of relief along with gratitude for our more advanced medical technology and communication speeds.  The global sharing of information likely saved more lives that we’ll ever know.  The latest overall mortality rate I found for COVID-19 is around 3.5 million, while it’s thought the 1918 pandemic claimed an estimated 50 million lives worldwide. Donoghue’s inclusion of a historically real figure in Dr. Lynn was an interesting touch.  The author’s notes included some of her positive accomplishments and contributions with references provided for additional reading. Emma Donoghue’s choice of a nurse for her central character was certainly a prescient one.  At the heart is the underlying tone of devotion and dedication among health care workers that thankfully still exists today.  It brought to mind interviews with healthcare staff during the early days of COVID-19 and seeing the pandemic from perspective of people willing to risk their lives to help others.  Those people, like Julia, show us challenging times can also bring out the best in us.