The Promise of Stardust
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What would you do?
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I was completely puzzled by this book. Assume 99% of humanity would just keep Elle alive long enough for the baby to be born, then let her go. WTF not? The whole premise of the book was ridiculous to me, made no sense, also I had a problem with the couple just happening to be an astrophysicist and a top neurosurgeon - married to each other. Really? Like they couldn't have been a teacher and a nurse? Or a salesman and a hairstylist? The premise ridiculous and their jobs were ridiculous? I asked myself "WHY?" throughout the whole book.
It is so hard to know what you would do . Being an RN, I have watched patient's families struggle with this situation. Even if someone has Advanced Directives it is still left up to the family to decide. My Mom was very ill with sepsis (her bowel had perforated and was spilling waste products) Since she was 79, had Alzheimer's, the surgeon really didn't believe she would live through the surgery. I was her medical decision maker and the rest of the family wanted her to have the surgery. It is so hard to be put in that position for anyone. She had the surgery but her quality of life for the 2 more years she lived in a nursing home was not what she would have wanted.I thought the professions of Matt and Elle were perfect. The letter she left in their 1st baby's ashes summed it up a far as the story of a girl that wanted to go in to space and she achieved her dream. Matt telling Hope that story about her Mom's courage made the book perfect. The fact that he was a neurosurgeon made it interesting to me because he knew the dangers so each crisis was very real. This was one of the best books I have read in a while.
I'm an RN too. But Elle wasn't a 79 year old with sepsis and Alzheimer's, she was a healthy woman in the 30's carrying a child wanted by the surviving father. To me, the whole premise of the book was a no brainer. And the jobs of the parents bugged me, sorry. Hard to relate to someone who has a job that only .0001 of the population has - and they happen to be married? But, I can guarantee a neurosurgeon and an astrophysicist would consider the ethical question a no-brainer - Elle carries the child.I found the book overwhelmingly cheesy, with average writing - it reminded me a Jodi Picoult novel - but it did keep me reading to see what finally happened.
It did not occur to me until Melissa mentioned it about Matt & Elle's careers... My mental musings were about the Grandma/Mom/ Mother-in-law's motives. Difficult to imagine a mother willingly dragging her son into a (very public) court battle.
All of that aside, I enjoyed the story. The author's ability to give an insider view into the feelings and reactions of the hospital staff made it appealing.
When I started reading, I told myself that I would not cry...but I did. Sibley did an excellent job touching on a variety of sensitive subjects.
I was on the side of giving the baby a chance from the get-go.
If you come away from that read and either double-check an existing Advance Directive or make one ...then the author has done everyone you care about a worth wile service.
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I picked this book up to read because I have experienced my own losses and can relate a tiny bit to what Elle has been through. I am also 7 months pregnant. When I finished I made sure to say to my husband that I would always want him to fight for our unborn child.
I was worried the book was going to get too political the way Jake the lawyer wanted to take the case. I am glad it chose to focus on the couple and their own personal experiences. It really was an engaging book.