Feedback during the three-year Story Lab program under Donald Maass and Lorin Oberweger:
“What a novel. You’re telling a hell of a story here. I am a big believer in this project. We haven’t had a novel like this in the industry for a really long time.”
“I think you have the M*A*S*H of the 21st century here. It’s an amazing look into the life of an intern in a hospital and what’s really going on in there. This is an amazing collection of craziness. I’ve never read anything like this. It’s important, this book. It’s a war novel, basically, in a very different realm. It’s Catch-22 for hospitals. You have something unique here. I don’t think anybody else could ever write this novel. It’s entertaining, horrifying, and interesting.”
“The real reason we’re reading this novel is to see if the system is going to defeat Rachel, a good young woman who’s really trying to do something beautiful and caring. Is the system going to grind her down? Along the way, it’s funny, terrifying, and chaotic.”
“The heart of this plot is a moral trap for Rachel.”
“Excellent job in portraying this world with authenticity. I also thought you did an excellent job of laying out a number of ethical considerations—culminating in the most dramatic one…There’s a lot to chew on here, in a thought-provoking way, which I really appreciated as the reader.
“Well written overall, with so many great bits of behind-the-scenes info. I do feel like I’m getting such an education when it comes to the life of an intern, so really well done there!”
Sterling Watson (Dennis Lehane’s early mentor) feedback on this manuscript during Writers in Paradise: “There’s enough mystique still to the medical profession, and this lifts the veil on it. It’s a well-paced piece. The protagonist is stoic, not a whiner, so when she does complain, I’m going to pay attention. She approaches the world with endurance, hard work, toughness, intelligence, and a sense of humor.”
Writers in Paradise workshop participants’ feedback:
“Overall, I found your story wildly entertaining.”
“It’s more than entertainment, although, of course, it’s quite entertaining.”
“It’s not the usual male doctor hero vs. the patient’s problem. This is a dynamic story with a feisty, ambitious female doctor protagonist…”
“Rachel is a complicated and pressured—but not a heartless or self-absorbed—person.”
“She’s a complicated character, and she’s someone who is tough…but she also has a softer side to her. I’m already rooting for her to succeed.”
“…She’s witty and competitive, but in a refreshing way….”
Feedback from Current Critique Group:
“You do a really good job of indicting the [American medical] system. It dehumanizes doctors and mistakes are going to be made because people are exhausted.”
“[Rachel’s] dilemma is very relatable—for women especially—because women have to make compromises.”
“One of the unique things about your book is you’re teaching people the insider baseball of medicine. There are really interesting insights.”
Title ideas, Back-Cover Copy, and Sample Lines for Cover Copy: Please contact B.C.
B.C. can be found on Instagram and Facebook @BCKrygowski.
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