Beyond the Mask - Paperback

Set amid the beginning turmoil of New York's COVID crisis, Beyond the Mask is a fictional psychological chronicle of six health care workers in a callous city hospital system. Maureen is a jaded veteran nurse about to retire. Michael is a dedicated ER nurse for whom family is everything. Ethan is a young nursing assistant, nursing student, and recovering addict, ready to embark on his next chapter helping people get well. Sandy is a newbie nurse getting her bearings in unforgiving surroundings, wondering if she's really in the right place. Kyle is an x-ray tech who knows his job inside out until its requirements change before his eyes. Fran is an orthopedic nurse who came to her work as a single mother so as to better provide for her young developmentally challenged son. In this ripped-from-the-headlines drama, six colleagues confront the failures of body and state up close. Beyond the Mask puts us not just in the room with health-care workers but in their heads, giving voice to conflicts, doubts, and desires unique to their calling in present-day America.