Sacrament

by Susan Straight

Centered around a group of nurses in San Bernardino during the first year of a pandemic, acclaimed author Susan Straight weaves a love story between the women and their forged community—a community beset by extreme heat and great change, yet one they’ll risk their lives to protect

In August 2020, four women are nurses working in the ICU at a San Bernardino Hospital at the height of a COVID Larette Embers, whose husband Grief is an Animal Control officer, whose son Dante is obsessed with astrology; Cherrise Martinez, whose husband died years ago in a car crash, whose daughter Raquel has been sent to Coachella to live with her great-aunt in the date gardens to avoid the virus; and two traveling nurses, Pam Ott from Indiana, and Marisol Manalang, born in the Philippines but living in Sacramento.

To safeguard their families, the nurses have moved into RVs close to the hospital, living side by side, working, eating, sleeping as close as sisters. They share food and cigarettes while they care for each other, yet often keep their work experiences private. They are a community in crisis at the height of a pandemic, assisting strangers at the edge of death with infinite tenderness and desperation.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Susan Straight's newest novel is "Between Heaven and Here." It is the last in the Rio Seco Trilogy, which began with "A Million Nightingales" and "Take One Candle Light a Room." She has published eight novels, a novel for young readers and a children's book. She has also written essays and articles for numerous national publications, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Nation and Harper's Magazine, and is a frequent contributor to NPR and Salon.com.

Her story "Mines," first published in Zoetrope All Story, was included in Best American Short Stories 2003. She won a Lannan Literary Award in 2007. She won a 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award for her short story "The Golden Gopher."

She is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside and lives in Riverside, California.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this book highlighted the experiences of nurses and first responders during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Susan Straight does a great job of harkening back to a devastating and bewildering time and showing these characters’ fortitude even in difficult circumstances. Unfortunately I give this book only three stars because the writing style was quite slow for me; the prose just felt too uniform and one-dimensional, even across scenes of different emotional intensity. Even though there were multiple main characters their voices all blended together too much for my liking. Respect to Straight for the message of this novel even if the execution didn’t work for me.

[Maureen Grigsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was different than I expected, but it tells the story of several Covid 19 nurses and the impact of caring for patients on their families, the patients, and themselves.

[Novel Visits · Rating 4 out of 5]

@counterpointpress | #gifted Do you ever have expectations for a book that get in the way of your enjoyment? That’s what happened to me initially with 𝗦𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 by Susan Straight, but I’m happy to say I overcame those early doubts. The blurb for this book describes it as being about a group of nurses in San Bernardino, CA during that first summer of COVID. To keep their families safe, they live in small trailers not far from the hospital where they work long brutal shifts. That was all a big part of this story, but there was so much more and at first all the rest threw me. In fact, I almost stopped reading. That would have been a mistake. ⁣
⁣
𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 turned out to be such a rich story exactly because it was more than just about the nurses. It was also about their families, their children, their friends, their community, their patients, and yes, the nurses themselves. At the heart of the story were cousins Larette and Cherrise who’d grown up together and ended up in the same career, nursing.That brought them both to the front lines in the unknown territory that was trying to save lives in that horrifying first year of the pandemic. Their jobs were not the only COVID related issues that were part of this story. That’s where the friends and family came in.⁣
⁣
This book was a little like stepping back in time to an era we all remember, but sometimes wish we didn’t. I realize that for some readers, the book will be a hard no, but I’d encourage you to consider it with an open mind. Like other collective tragedies (WWII, Vietnam, 9/11), that time is a piece of our shared history. Yes, parts were difficult to read, but it was the overall humanity that shone through. That’s why, in the end, I really liked this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing was a bit uneven, but I love Straight’s world of working class characters navigating the first years in of the Covid 19 pandemic in the inland regions of Southern California.

[Melony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend.
Great book about families, the ones we have & the ones we make.

[Salty Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tale of nurses looking after Covid patients in a small California town, as seen through their eyes and those close to them. There are passages here that hit so close to home, that bring back such dire memories of that phase that one wants to look away. There is absolutely no doubt, the nurses that stayed and soothed the sickest patients and saw them through their passing were the real heroes.

[Craftyrose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

What a beautiful story. So many layers. So much love. This is a book that is going to stay with you for days because there's so much in it for you to unpack and think about.

Nursing family is unlike any other family because you deal with life and death all the time. So many people on the precipice of falling And never coming back or turning over and living a whole new life again.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

book:Sacrament|224082456] by Susan Straight tells the story of nurses living on the front line fighting Covid in 2020. Because of its subject matter it may be too painful for some to revisit. I know there were moments in this book that I had difficulty with.

The nurses live in small trailers provided for them to live in away from their families. We see how they and their families cope. Straight tells a gripping story of the families during this fraught time.

Larrette and Cherrise are cousins who have been through everything together but they never imagined they would be nurses fighting in the frontlines against Covid nor what this would ask of their families.

The story tole in third person shifts perspective between characters but with Johnny Frias a CHP officer it is told in first person. Apparently Johnny was the main character in Mecca (which I have not read.)

I found the book moving and would recommend it to any who can get past reliving 2020. I might also recommend reading Mecca first, although I haven't read it but want to now.

I would and want to read more by Susan Straight as this is the first one I've read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A COVID novel about hard-working nurses during lockdown, staying in a temporary trailer park to keep their families safe. The novel focuses on how they cope with the distancing, the deaths, and the despair of not knowing when it would end. One major storyline concerns a single mother and her high-school-aged daughter, now separated by a 2-hour drive and lockdown protocols, only able to Zoom when the mother's work breaks align. Another nurse sings to the departing whose loved ones are unable to be at the bedside. It's heartbreaking yet also hopeful. There's a lot going on - perhaps too much - but I was left with an even deeper respect for the essential workers who kept things going and for the sacrifices they made.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @RecordedBooks, and #NetGalley for access to the well-narrated audiobook of #Sacrament for review purposes. It is now available.

[Linda Rae · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed Mecca, this sequel/continuation did not resonate with me. The COVID scenes at the hospital were very touching, the farming scenes felt realistic but the book itself felt overly dramatic in parts and boring in others. It was very uneven and I was glad to be done with it.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoping there will be a sequel to this book. I loved it. Hard to explain why. I took two years of Spanish in high school, and can usually understand what is written, but I kept grabbing my iPad and using the translation app!

[Liz Willard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will it ever get easier to read a book about Covid? This is an important one, giving insight into the lives of nurses. Not an easy read. It’s written a bit poetically, which can be both beautiful but also vague. The focus on relationships is key.

[Jan Pitts · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author is new to me and I thought the subject would appeal as I am a nurse. I simply don’t like her writing and had difficulty with the flow. Not for me.

[Sheila The Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during the height of the 2020 pandemic in San Bernardino, Sacrament follows three ICU nurses whose lives intertwine as they balance compassion, exhaustion, and fear while caring for the dying. When one nurse’s daughter disappears, their world collides with a highway patrol officer’s search that exposes both love and loss amid a nation in crisis.

I listened to this one on audiobook thanks to an advanced copy from the publisher and NetGalley, and the narrators did an excellent job bringing the nurses and their distinct personalities to life. The story had moments that resonated, but I found that much of the focus was on small daily details rather than deeper character development, which made it harder to form a strong emotional connection to the people in it. The subject matter itself was heavy, revisiting a time that still feels raw for many of us, and that made parts of it difficult to read. The writing is skillful and clear, and I can see the author’s talent in how she captures place and tone, but this particular story didn’t completely land for me. I’d still be open to reading more of her work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[thewanderingjew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacrament: A Novel, Susan Straight, author; Stacy Gonzalez, Marisol Ramirez, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Jasmin Walker, narrators.
Nurses Larette and Charisse may be important characters in this novel, but it is their shared experience with family, patients, and others from diverse backgrounds, that were, and are possibly still today impacted by the Covid virus, that illuminates Covid’s ongoing effect on all of us. The interaction with Rachel, Charisse’s daughter and Grief, Larette’s husband, serves to add authenticity to this story as the ravages of the Covid pandemic on society continues even now. It is through these characters that we witness and remember Covid’s effect on all of our daily lives, as it forced necessary changes and challenges that everyone had to face.
Covid created anxiety. It emphasized the need to have a strong sense of devotion and loyalty to each other, in order to deal with the hoarding and scarcities of products to come, and the inevitable loss of loved ones. We would all have to face loss and grief. In the beginning, there was simply little that could be done to fight the disease. The” trial and error” approach, often resulted in errors. So, this is a heartfelt and often heartbreaking tale, but those of us still standing are filled with the hope of building a better future for all of us.
The author has exposed the details and the ramifications of the inadequate, often “fly by night” rules, and/or lack of them, developed in the earliest stages of the pandemic. Unfortunately, we were largely ignorant of the disease, and our understanding of how to treat Covid only slowly evolved. Kudos to the author for enlightening the reader, with such clarity, to the sacrifices made by the dedicated workers in the medical profession and also in the other essential service fields. These workers had to overcome their own fears as they faced their daily, traumatic experiences while they feared for their own safety and the safety of their families.
At a time of such a disastrous event like a pandemic, that threatened the continuation of our very existence on earth, the loyalty and courage of essential workers was often either ignored or unappreciated. Their job performance was often thankless. Their inability to save many victims was often cause for abusive criticism. The unreality that we all faced, of possible extinction, as we faced a danger that seemed beyond our control, created chaos in some circles of society; yet our dedicated professionals never seemed to give up hope or weaken and run from their responsibility to help those less fortunate, even when their own safety was threatened.
The author steered clear, for the most part, of politics, and instead concentrated on humanity and its ability to treat each other humanely. Responding to extreme measures, health care workers chose to remain and comfort the victims, helping the dying as they shuffled off this mortal coil without the benefit of their loved ones surrounding them. The morality of some of the choices made, by political entities and some in position of authority, was left out in this book. It was deemed to be a story for another day of judgment. For this book, we can only judge the devoted professionals and agree that they were angels of mercy. Although, some found this book slow in the beginning. I did not agree with that assessment. I was glad that my fear that it would become political was unfounded. It is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read. Set in Southern California during the height of COVID it's very much about family, the one we are born into and the one we make. And it's very wise. Cousins Larette and Cherrisse are working in the ICU and living in trailers three blocks from the hospital to keep their families safe. Larette's husband Grief is an animal control officer while Cherrisse is a widow who has sent her 15 year old daughter Raquel to live at her in-laws date farm to keep her safe. Then there's Johnny, Grief's friend who is a CHP officer and kinda cowboy. This winds between all of them over a period of weeks. Weeks when Raquel pines for her mother and ultimately goes missing for the family when she persuades Joey, who works at the farm to drive her back to see her mother. There are admittedly some terrible moments in the ICU but there are also moments of grace, especially when Larette sings to patients. The atmospherics are equally vivid at the date farm and at the ranch where Grief and Johnny wrestle an escaped bull back to a pen. I worry that this won't get the attention it deserves due to the topic but it's emotional, thoughtful, beautifully written and just terrific. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. This is the first time I've read Straight and I'm going to look for her again. Highly recommend.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read every novel Susan Straight has written since her first was published in 1993, and they have all been exceptional, in my opinion. This newest one is another stunner, with a gripping, emotional story, utterly human and credible characters, and a vivid sense of place. (It puzzles me that she’s not better known and more widely read, but the taste of the reading public often baffles the heck out of me.) Some of the characters from her previous novel, Mecca, appear here (though there’s no need to have read that one to fully appreciate this), and we’re back in central California, in the area around San Bernardino. But this is summer 2020, which means Covid has shut everything down, and the story centres on two nurses, cousins, who are caring for the (far too often) dying people in the ICU and living in trailers near the hospital to prevent spreading the virus to their families. This has been going on for months by the time the story opens, and the nurses and their family members are starting to come apart at the seams. The story goes in really interesting directions, both inside the hospital and out, with big emotion and empathy. The author clearly cares for her characters, and I really did too. Highly recommended.

[Kate Belt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly my best novel of 2025 (not counting rereads)! What a beautifully written and beautifully told story. It’s about Covid and is also a history lesson, with a strong sense of place, about the everyday lives of ranchers and farmers who have populated the San Bernardino, CA area for hundreds of years. This redemption story will break your heart! I can’t write a better description than this excerpt from the Washington Post Book Review “Sacrament is a rare novel that deepens the human drama of Covid . . . In populating Sacrament with a cast of Black, Mexican American, Indigenous and Filipina essential workers during the pre-vaccine days of Covid, Straight transcends the mundanity of Covid novels that have concerned themselves with upper-class social distancers . . . Straight’s reverence for the work of nurses is clear . . . writing directly from their perspectives, she avoids the saccharine tone of some appreciations . . . Sacrament is a deeply humane novel about the tenderness and heartache of caring for strangers, the misguided ways we try to protect the people we love the most by hiding our hardest truths, and the strength that can be found in community." I first learned about this book and this author in Library Journal’s Prepub Alert.

[Kendra Chura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was both a reminder and an eye-opener of what people went through during peak COVID.

Based on the description, it wasn’t exactly what I expected, but I still enjoyed it. The story follows not only the nurses but several other characters as well.

Each character in the audiobook had a different narrator, and I thought they were all great. There’s a bit of singing in this, and while she had a lovely voice, I really don’t enjoy singing in audiobooks.

What I didn’t love was how often it felt like hardships were being compared. Being an essential worker during the height of COVID would be hard no matter what. Obviously, the ER nurses were front and center, and it was clearly mentally and physically exhausting. But a few times it felt like they were arguing they had it worse—when no one was saying they didn’t—just that it was a hard time for everyone.

Overall, it was a good story. It was a bit slow at times, but it did keep my attention and the different narrators made it easy to follow each character.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced listening copy.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in 2020 when Covid was a new virus that was easily spread, making so many very ill, often taking lives and leaving others with long term symptoms. The nurses of San Bernadino Hospital must isolate themselves when not at work to avoid spreading the virus any further. The devastation of their pasts and all that they witness at work along with being isolated from their families, takes its toll of course. Much of the book explores the bonds that pull people together in the wake of tragedy. The characters move through grief, guilt and moments of grace that feel grounded and real.

There are four narrators of this audiobook. The narration is great although at some stages the pace seems very slow. The singing lines are lovely.
I found it a little difficult to follow in parts due to the shifts between timelines and perspectives. Despite the changing narrators, I think it may have been easier for me if I had read Sacrament in print.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Readnponder · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sacrament” is first of author Susan Straight’s books that I’ve read. I will definitely try some more of her work. I was drawn to the novel because it featured nurses during the Covid pandemic. I have a relative who was one of those nurses holding a tablet or phone in front of a dying patient so the family could say good-bye. I read to understand more of her experience, and this book delivered.

However it delivered even more. I’m on the east coast and unfamiliar with southern California. This book portrayed Latinos and native Americans, agriculture, and the extreme weather conditions through the lives of first responders and their families. I also appreciated insight into teenagers, separated from their parents for safety reasons, while trying to finish high school online.

I listened to the audio version. I love an audiobook with multiple narrators. However, some of the narrators read a bit too slow for my taste. The accents and Spanish phrases enhanced this multicultural book.

[lori pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Stacy Gonzalez, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Jasmin Walker, Kim Ramirez, all narrated the book and did a fantastic job of making the book come to life!

This is the story of several ICU nurses during the summer of 2020 at the height of Covid. These women chose to live in trailers 3 blocks from the hospital to keep their families safe but the separation from family had its effect.

This is a well written story about relationships and family, the ones we are born into and the one we make. The sacrifice these women make to help the dying is heartbreaking. It not only took its toll on the women but their loved ones that they sought to protect.

A gut wrenching read that is a tribute to the healthcare workers of Covid.

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about the experiences of a group of nurses during the COVID pandemic. What they went through, the amazing work they did, the things they endured, the emotional toll on them and their families and their hearts. It’s an important fictionalized version of what I imagine many nurses and front line workers endured. I know some in the medical profession who lived away from their families and home early on so as to keep them safe. The fear, the impact on the children stays with them. Not the easiest of reads, but a story that needed to be written. The pacing was a bit uneven and I didn’t love the narration, but overall, an important description of what these amazing people experienced. Upped to 4 stars from what would have been a 3.5 if half stars were available.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacrament
By Susan Straight

This was a moving exploration of the lives of a group of San Bernardino, CA nurses living in trailers on the site of a hospital during a COVID surge. The details of their care and concern for both patients and families brought back all the emotions of watching the horrors of 2020.

We see their actions, feel their pain and fear. Straight shows us the power of secrets we keep to protect those we love, with good intentions and mixed outcomes.

Her characters are working people, many with family histories connecting them to Mexico, sprinkling Spanish expressions, foods, traditions throughout, creating a beautiful cultural mosaic; I came away wanting to learn more about the history of the settlement of California. And dates. Definitely need to learn more about all those different types of dates.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and this author. Even though this is a stand alone novel, I think you should read Susan Straight’s “Mecca” first. It’s a great introduction to the characters back history. It also sets the scene for this beautiful California inland empire that few authors write about. I can feel the hot Santa Anas. This book takes us back to the time of Covid and centers wonderful nurses (and their families) who were on the front lines of this epidemic. Their tenderness and sacrifice is awe inspiring. But it’s not a “Covid” novel. It’s about the beauty of family and friends and the bonds we make with each other. It touched my heart. I hope to read about these characters in another of her books. I miss them already.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for this audio book.

Four ICU nurses are living in a trailer park near the hospital where they work in order to protect their families from COVID 19. Although they come from different backgrounds they have become very close knit and share almost everything, including their hopes, dreams and what life has become and what it may look like after the pandemic has run its course.

I feel this story would have been a better book to read rather than listen to. There were way too many characters and there didn’t seem to be much continuity. Also the actual singing, while making sense in the story did not add anything to the audio.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan Straight returns to the SoCal settings and character universe of Mecca in her wonderful new novel, Sacrament. Set in San Bernardino and the Coachella Valley during the Covid surge of 2020, Sacrament submerges us in the lives of two hospital nurses and best friends who are distancing themselves, practically and emotionally, from their families. I felt deeply for these characters and their struggles. What a heartbreaking and beautiful novel!

[Carol Scheherazade]

We are nurses. When we were needed they flattered and clapped and rang bells. Well. Some of them. Some fucjed us over. Refused shots. Deny deny deny… while thousands died. They created fake stories… shots cause this. Shots cause that. Use this use that. All lies. No regard. No compassion. They disrespected us then and they’re disrespecting us now. Nurses aren’t professionals.

No wonder I’m still furious.

[Zoe Zeid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew what I was getting into when I started this novel - a higher brow book than I typically like and I got exactly that. Story idea was great, I was reminded of the bravery and necessity of the nurses on front line during the toughest points of the covid pandemic but the story moved too slow and unevenly for my taste.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched Susan Straight's interview about this forthcoming book after having read MECCA. Living in Southern CA, as a reader I felt invested in the storyline and geographical details. The toll and mental anguish of the nurses, doctors and hospital staff was vivid. 2020 - the Pandemic-was an unbelievable year of uncertainty and misery for everyone, but this story hits the reader with reality.