Queen of the Sugarhouse
Studer, Constance
Primary Category:
Literature /
Fiction
Genre: Collection (Short Stories)
-
Annotated by:
- Davis, Cortney
- Date of entry: Sep-14-2021
- Last revised: Sep-14-2021
Summary
Constance Studer's engaging "Queen of the
Sugarhouse" contains nine short stories ranging in length from 9 to 21
pages, each story complete in itself.
Her nursing expertise is evident in several stories, including
"Mercy" (page 3), "Shift" (page 77), "The Isolation
Room" (page 95), "Testament" (page 112), "Special
Needs" (page 122), and the title story, "Queen of the
Sugarhouse" (page 138).
While many of the stories specifically revolve around
medicine or nursing, others examine a variety of issues, often with healthcare
peripherally involved.
In "Shelter" (page 21), a homeless vet who served in the Gulf War struggles with PTSD, the difficulty of obtaining permanent disability, the inability to find work or a suitable living space, and his quest to find treatment for his many physical problems after chemical exposure during Desert Storm. He sees a different doctor at each appointment and no one truly helps him. "Finding today's meal or bed or beer takes all my energy, leaving me nothing left over for thinking about next week. I am a veteran and can no longer vote because I have no home" (page 27). Studer takes us into this man's life and struggles with clarity and empathy.
"Think Beauty" (page 37) questions what makes a woman beautiful (or believe she is beautiful) against a back story examining friendship and all that entails. "This Middle Kingdom" (page 58) tells a story that encompasses both the heroics of a ski team that saves skiers in distress and how difficult it can be to feel compassion for those who end up in trouble because they flaunt the rules or advice of the experts--a theme quite relevant for our times.
The book's opening story, "Mercy" (page 3) explores a nurse's various reactions after she makes an error while dispensing medication. As in every story in the collection, multiple themes weave in and out, driven by a character's decision or dilemma. In "Mercy," we see how medical personnel can truly care for and worry about their patients; how even a small error may cause a nurse deep distress, both for her patient and for her future; how the nursing shortage leads to burnout; and how "real life" continues on in the background, in this case, a passionate love affair that leads both to marriage and to grief. "Grief is a train that doesn't run on anyone else's schedule" (page 15).
"Shift" (page 76) tells of a physician who is devoted to his work and his patients in the ER ("His white coat flaps, stethoscope bounces as the doctor runs, its weight a comfort, like a rosary for a priest" page 76) while his wife feels neglected. The story moves between the chaos of the ER and the story of his marriage, a love that began when the doctor was in medical school. After his wife leaves him, the doctor sleeps with the lights on, hoping she will return. But whenever he closes his eyes, he only sees scenes from the ER. The story ends with words the doctor has said so often to a patient: "Please sir, lie still. I'm going to numb you now. Hang on, man. Soon the pain will be gone" (page 93).
"The Isolation Room" (page 94) follows a woman, a writer, who has been, she believes, placed unnecessarily and mistakenly in a psychiatric ward. As we read, we wonder if this woman is truly afflicted with a mental disorder or if she is simply extremely imaginative, perhaps betrayed by her husband who arranged for her admission. The main character is likeable, often seemingly sensible, perhaps incredibly but differently talented: "Maybe to be out of her mind meant she'd finally make the leap from logical to intuitive, into her true skin, a room all her own ... a writer, that teller of lies, pursuer of truth by means other than logical, that follower of breadcrumbs through the scary forest wherever they lead?" (page 97).
"Testament" (page 112) follows a student nurse in her first month of training and touches on the care of difficult patients, their various religious beliefs, and how healthcare providers' families are not immune to illness. "Special Needs" (page 121) follows Maria, a waitress with an unexpected pregnancy and wheelchair confined brother. The title story, "Queen of the Sugarhouse" (page 137) is a poignant examination of breast cancer; the terrible trial of chemo and radiation; the complex relationship between the suffering mother and her daughter, a nurse; and how life changes when the drama of uneasy but genuine love and relationship ends. "I think I hear Mama's voice, then realize it's only the sound of water over rocks. Tears are this river carrying me forward" (page 153).
In "Shelter" (page 21), a homeless vet who served in the Gulf War struggles with PTSD, the difficulty of obtaining permanent disability, the inability to find work or a suitable living space, and his quest to find treatment for his many physical problems after chemical exposure during Desert Storm. He sees a different doctor at each appointment and no one truly helps him. "Finding today's meal or bed or beer takes all my energy, leaving me nothing left over for thinking about next week. I am a veteran and can no longer vote because I have no home" (page 27). Studer takes us into this man's life and struggles with clarity and empathy.
"Think Beauty" (page 37) questions what makes a woman beautiful (or believe she is beautiful) against a back story examining friendship and all that entails. "This Middle Kingdom" (page 58) tells a story that encompasses both the heroics of a ski team that saves skiers in distress and how difficult it can be to feel compassion for those who end up in trouble because they flaunt the rules or advice of the experts--a theme quite relevant for our times.
The book's opening story, "Mercy" (page 3) explores a nurse's various reactions after she makes an error while dispensing medication. As in every story in the collection, multiple themes weave in and out, driven by a character's decision or dilemma. In "Mercy," we see how medical personnel can truly care for and worry about their patients; how even a small error may cause a nurse deep distress, both for her patient and for her future; how the nursing shortage leads to burnout; and how "real life" continues on in the background, in this case, a passionate love affair that leads both to marriage and to grief. "Grief is a train that doesn't run on anyone else's schedule" (page 15).
"Shift" (page 76) tells of a physician who is devoted to his work and his patients in the ER ("His white coat flaps, stethoscope bounces as the doctor runs, its weight a comfort, like a rosary for a priest" page 76) while his wife feels neglected. The story moves between the chaos of the ER and the story of his marriage, a love that began when the doctor was in medical school. After his wife leaves him, the doctor sleeps with the lights on, hoping she will return. But whenever he closes his eyes, he only sees scenes from the ER. The story ends with words the doctor has said so often to a patient: "Please sir, lie still. I'm going to numb you now. Hang on, man. Soon the pain will be gone" (page 93).
"The Isolation Room" (page 94) follows a woman, a writer, who has been, she believes, placed unnecessarily and mistakenly in a psychiatric ward. As we read, we wonder if this woman is truly afflicted with a mental disorder or if she is simply extremely imaginative, perhaps betrayed by her husband who arranged for her admission. The main character is likeable, often seemingly sensible, perhaps incredibly but differently talented: "Maybe to be out of her mind meant she'd finally make the leap from logical to intuitive, into her true skin, a room all her own ... a writer, that teller of lies, pursuer of truth by means other than logical, that follower of breadcrumbs through the scary forest wherever they lead?" (page 97).
"Testament" (page 112) follows a student nurse in her first month of training and touches on the care of difficult patients, their various religious beliefs, and how healthcare providers' families are not immune to illness. "Special Needs" (page 121) follows Maria, a waitress with an unexpected pregnancy and wheelchair confined brother. The title story, "Queen of the Sugarhouse" (page 137) is a poignant examination of breast cancer; the terrible trial of chemo and radiation; the complex relationship between the suffering mother and her daughter, a nurse; and how life changes when the drama of uneasy but genuine love and relationship ends. "I think I hear Mama's voice, then realize it's only the sound of water over rocks. Tears are this river carrying me forward" (page 153).
Publisher
atmosphere press
Place Published
USA
Edition
2021
Page Count
153
Commentary
The stories in "Queen of the Sugarhouse" deepen with every reading. Each offers a main story line interwoven with subplots, clear observations of human nature and behavior, and moving glimpses into the lives of fictionalized characters, reflections of the actual men and women we might come across unexpectedly, never knowing the traumas, the joys, the burdens they carry. These are movingly revealed in Constance Studer's story collection.