In her heartbreaking literary debut, a tour-de-force of emotions, Staggs crafts a moving tale of a loving husband and wife dealing with the stress of chronic illness. Litigator Casey O’Connell Scott has dealt with her worsening epilepsy for years, but medication has kept it at bay—until the day she has a severe seizure in court. Her doctor informs Casey and her husband Jonah that Casey is at high risk of SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy and recommends a world-class program in Cleveland, nearly 3,000 miles from their Portland, Oregon, home. Casey and her bestie, Holly, head to Ohio to see if the team there can offer a cure, leaving Jonah to hold down the fort.In a story told alternately by Casey and Jonah, Staggs deftly demonstrates the family stresses that ensue when a spouse has a life-changing illness—compounded by unsympathetic bosses. Jonah, Casey’s advertising executive husband, watches Casey’s worsening condition with a mixture of fear, dread, and avoidance, eventually turning to a borderline-emotional affair. Casey and Jonah’s young children, Sam and Sadie, are too young to fully understand how serious their mother’s condition is, putting extra pressure on Jonah to pretend all is well. Staggs is pitch-perfect in portraying the poisonous cocktail of fear, anger, and underlying love that ensues.
Staggs’ experience as a lawyer shines through in courtroom scenes that are believable and lively, and her expert knowledge of epilepsy and its ramifications comes from her own experience with the condition. Readers will be drawn in from Staggs’ first page, powered by a strong and flawed heroine and her devoted and also flawed husband—a reminder that no human ever has the perfect reaction when faced with a life-changing diagnosis. The finale is real, raw, and ultimately heart-warming. Staggs’ touching and well-written debut is not to be missed.
Takeaway: This marvelously written debut explores a marriage in the face of a dire diagnosis.
Comparable Titles: Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Maybe in Another Life Jessica Francis Kane’s Rules for Visiting.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
