: Coma
Author: Robin Cook
Surprisingly well-written book for the genre. I’ve seen a bit of a movie and knew some of the story, but I’d never bothered with the book. It’s definitely Cook’s best. The characters are more defined and the writing style is more polished: much of his later work is rushed and cheap by comparison. He still throws in all the required elements of a paint-by-numbers thriller: gratuitous sex, violence, etc., but it’s well-done. The story is about a female medical student who is trying to figure out why so many patients at a Boston hospital are ending up in unexplained comas. During her investigation, she offends all her superiors and puts her medical career at risk, but she’s positive something sinister is going on. Plot-wise, it’s routine by today’s standards, but what makes the story compelling is the fact that the lead character’s a woman struggling to get by in a man’s domain (far more of a problem in the 70’s than today when female doctors are more accepted) and as a lowly medical student is a terrific underdog (arrogant doctors with decades of experience don’t want to hear her absurd theories because they would be shown up by a mere student). An excellent read, made even more interesting by today’s standards — it makes you realize how much things have changed in just a couple decades.
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