Quirk of Fate

by James A. Sesnak

This is a story of strong women, the men they met, the choices they made, and the consequences that followed which put them all in the ICU on the same day. Mandy is a widowed mother of a thirteen-year-old boy and an intensive care nurse in a prestigious La Jolla California hospital. Her skill in recognizing subtle changes in her patient’s condition often puts her at odds with the doctor in charge and the contest that follows is both instructional and humorous. Every shift has unexpected emotional events, like when a patient unexpectedly dies. End-of-life discussions are frequent but never routine and emotions are raw, especially when you're the nurse assigned to “pull the plug” on a brain-dead patient. Working in an environment that is forever surrounded by pain, suffering, and death, an occasional visit from a poltergeist is never far away. This day was no exception.
When Mandy first meets her patients, she is unaware of their backstory but as those tales gradually unfold, she unwittingly becomes a psychiatrist, family counselor, referee, medical mediator, legal interpreter, and disciplinary mom. The personalities of her patients, their families, their lawyers, and the antics of her son rule the day as she struggles to maintain some semblance of workday order. In the midst of all this hubbub, Mandy longs for an intimate relationship but denies that she even wants one. Her nurse friend Darcy is her antagonist who eggs her on to find a date that has a hilarious ending.

296 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2022

About the author

James A. Sesnak, a retired RN with over forty years in healthcare, has witnessed firsthand the consequences of bad genes, bad luck, and bad choices. In Soldier On, he explores the emotional journey of confronting an inherited condition that breaks something that can’t be fixed. Quirk of Fate reflects on how a single stroke of misfortune can unexpectedly open the door to something better. Unscrupulous Choices examines how a series of desperate decisions can have unintended consequences that ripple outwards and destroy worlds.

Reviews

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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james sesnak wrote Quirk of Fate with such a smoothness and ease, that this story became more of an imaginative reality than just words on paper for me. His characters are so well-developed, that I came to care about them and their lives, and how they were interwoven with one another.

The hungry ghost scene at the hospital was frightening, to say the least. james sesnak presented this true event (he mentioned that to me) so well and realistic, that I went back to read it when I was finished with the book. (I completely believe this scene, since I myself have experienced ghostly-spirit encounters, although with much friendlier experiences and outcomes.)

I laughed at one of the scenes that involved ketchup and baking soda at a school cafeteria. I had no idea until now that combining them would produce such an explosive result. I think that ketchup scenario is much funnier than us girls in high school blowing the sleeves off of straws across the cafeteria in the days when one could do that.

Given the author's medical background, there are scenes that involve medical terms and scenarios. If anything, I learned quite a bit about what he writes about to the point of being educational.

I felt good at the ending of the novel, and the final paragraph was comforting and happy to me.

james sesnak hit an unmistakable home run with Quirk of Fate. It has everything I like in a story with this theme – believable characters and dialogue, beautifully descriptive scenes, and a plot that is significant. What more could a reader want? Oh, yes – the cover is attractive, too.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

Thank you to james sesnak for allowing me to read an advance copy. It is so good, that I am going to read it again.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Quirk of Fate by james sesnak and read it. It is a work of outstanding talent.

(Readers might also want to pick up his other novel, Soldier On . It is an outstandingly touching and greatly emotional true story.
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꧁Read an advance copy provided by the author. Thank you!꧂

[DAB-E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fasinating read. The characters are well written and likeable. The book brings up a lot of discussions on the differences between legal and ethical end of life decisions. It is a very thought provoking book. The part of the book with Robbie and Raymond is really good. It shows true freindship and the effects of bullies. So glad that things ended up the way they did in this subplot.

Carl may be my favorite patient character.

This would be a good book club read.

Thanks goodreads for this book.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s legal and what’s ethical are not always the same thing.

We make decisions every single day. Some are big and some are small. But almost all of our decisions affect other people to some extent. Every decision has consequences. Mr. Sesnak gives us a peak into a day in the life as an ICU nurse. The characters really come to life. I enjoyed getting to know Nurse Mandy and her son, Robbie. I want to know what tomorrow brings to them both.

[Rick Molitor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This was a good read. It was basically a thriller. It was about a very interesting 12 hour shift in the ICU. Not only was it a good read but it really made you think about choices and whether or not you could make them.

[Ronda Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book written by James Sesnak! Mandy is an ICU nurse and the story is about a day in her life. As an RN, I found myself transported back to my bedside nursing days, running room to room, administering medications, teaching patients, laughing with them, crying with them, and discussing difficult medical decisions with them and their families. One patient, Carl, reminded me of my dad and I couldn’t help but think of a few of my nursing comrades when Darcy makes an appearance. Even though this is a story about Mandy’s shift in the ICU, James writes in such a way that non-medical professionals will understand everything that is happening in Mandy’s world. The story gives insight as to just how hectic some nursing shifts can be and how legal and ethical decision making is not always black and white. Most of all, I love how James accurately depicts how nurses do more than just hang meds and write (chart) about it. He expertly shows how nurses are the patient’s lifeline to getting the proper care they need as well as advocates who care for their patients holistically. If you are a reader, medical professional or not, I highly recommend this book! Bravo James and thank you so much for giving me this world to get lost in for a few days.

[Bruce Carty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author weaves a great story of how past actions of certain patients converge in one day in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a busy hospital as seen through the eyes of an experienced and caring Nurse on the unit. Each character is developed with a sharp visual description as well as their part in this this entertaining "quirk of fate".
As evidenced by the descriptions of the activities of an ICU, the author possesses an in-depth knowledge of the technical complexities (which are explained in such a careful way that they are easily comprehended) as well as the complex human interactions that impact the staff, patients, family and friends.
As I was near the end of the book, I had to remind myself that while the activities described in the book occurred over many years the twists and turns of life caused them to all be realized on a single day in the ICU. A nice piece of writing!
Anyone that read the authors first novel, Soldier On will certainly enjoy this novel as it explores the coincidences of being in a certain spot at a certain time as well as how we are never too far away from our own unique pasts!!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters in this book are fictional but the thoughts and emotions, as well as the medical situations they go through seem very real. I cried, got scared, and laughed along with the characters.

I renewed my respect for medical professionals, especially ICU nurses, after reading this book. To me, people whose occupation is about saving lives are exceptional and should be recognized and rewarded in every way.

I recommend this book to youth who aspire to work in a medical field, and to adults, especially who have children.

[Mindi B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank God that's over...

This book is painfully repetitive and is chock full of grammatical errors. It's far longer than it needs to be, with a fully unnecessary side-plot involving the main character's son. Throw in a couple of moments where she almost has a love connection, a weird paranormal scene, random pop culture quotes, and way too many characters (one of whom isn't introduced until about the 75% mark) and you've got yourself a too-long novel that lacks any cohesion whatsoever.

[Jodi Menees · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first the writing seemed a bit too much like a literary class homework assignment, so much detailed description of the characters physical traits. But once the chars true were introduced, it was a quick story about a day in the life of an ICU. Appreciated the proper medical background of the author and the patients were an interesting group. I think a sequel could come from the new roommates and Daisy.

[Linda Sesnak · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Quirk of Fate” was a fabulously written page-turner, suspenseful, funny & reflective of life & death. As a non-medical person I also found the medical terminology fascinating and as a result expanded my understanding of several medical terms. A great read & I highly recommend this book! Will look forward to a possible continuation of the story

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that deals with the ethical issues of death. Told from the perspective of a competent, caring ICU nurse, it makes one realize that fate is indeed quirky and that we may all have to make difficult decisions one day.
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Craig Lindblad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It opened my eyes to what nurses, especially those giving critical care, go through in their day-to-day dealings with doctors, coworkers and patients on the brink of demise. The twists and turns kept me reading and wondering what was going to happen next. I definitely recommend Quirk of Fate.

[Shannon]

Once again Mr.Sesnak has composed a very well written book about a day in the life of an ICU nurse! I enjoyed the reality of the intensity of a shift as well as the relationships of the RNs. I thoroughly enjoy your books and I am very impressed with your talent!

[Dawn Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very different to my normal read, I usually go for young adult romance. But WOW I am so glad I read it. Hooked quite quickly and will definitely read again sometime.

[Lisa Shupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! It had a lot of turns and twists to keep me on the edge and wondering! Made you think, “What would I do?”