Cuts of the Heart
About
France, 1917. Dr. Elise Henri-Martin, infectious disease specialist, has been transferred—again—this time away from serving on the front to bring cutting edge, much-needed supplies to the countryside’s largest field hospital. Mistakenly drafted, she must earn Dr. Georges Pavard’s trust, hoping her success will aid a custody suit for her son.
Pavard, staunch supporter of ‘tried-and-true’ works best, has returned from ten years in Senegal, having fled France in professional embarrassment, with no patience for women in medicine. But when their commanding officer decides an odd medical partnership is exactly the boost in morale France needs, they must work together—innovating the use of x-rays and surgery to treat advanced tuberculosis.
The two find solace in each other, until a demonstration of the procedure brings their bond to the breaking point. With Elise’s divorce exposed, and her career and custody suit threatened, Pavard must choose facing the horrific surgical failure that forced him to flee France in order to follow his heart.
Framed by the courtroom testimony given a year later in Elise’s custody suit, CUTS OF THE HEART will ignite book club discussion about pioneering women in medicine, societal views of divorce, motherhood, and colonialism.
Perfect for fans of Kate Quinn's The Diamond Eye and Audrey Blake's The Surgeon's Daughter.
Praise for this book
This book is a masterclass in storytelling, blending suspense and emotion in a way that keeps you hooked from the first page to the last.