Book Review: Chance at Life

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker | Content Warnings: medical emergencies

A deep exploration of human emotion—as much about grief and depression as it is about joy, friendship, and love

At a chronic dialysis unit in Cleveland, Ohio, Rachel spends dozens of hours each week tending to her patients. She’s a new nurse there, so there are going to be mistakes made and lessons learned, but that does not stop her from frequently asking herself, “Am I cut out to be a nurse?”

Rachel is the wonderful and rare type who does what is right, not necessarily what is easy or by the rulebook. So many times when she tries to do the right thing she gets criticized or reprimanded. This is a trend that goes all the way back to her childhood with her mother and continues up through her relationship with her fiancé Steve and her career.

Darnell is a longtime dialysis patient who happens to be one of Rachel’s favorites. But when a dialysis machine fails to alarm the staff when it slips out of his arm, Darnell loses a lot of blood. Still, he refuses Rachel’s recommendation that he go to the hospital for a transfusion. “I have this tough macho image of my body being able to withstand anything, even losing half my blood.” Rachel calls the nurse on call for advice and is told to send him to the ER with no further help or suggestions. Against her better judgment, but out of the kindness of her heart, Rachel takes Darnell home in her own car to ensure his safety.

Not only is this the beginning of a deeper bond between Rachel and Darnell, beyond patient and nurse, it also is the beginning of her professional boundaries coming into question. Shortly after Darnell’s incident, another patient is failed by the same machine, and Rachel is blamed for her death by failing to do CPR on a patient believed to not have a Do Not Resuscitate order.

An internal investigation is launched against Rachel, causing Elizabeth, the on-call nurse, to swoop in to mentor the new nurse. Their friendship blossoms over time as Rachel faces career and romance related problems while Elizabeth battles diabetes and a failing kidney herself.

Chance at Life starts out as a crazy whirlwind introduction to how dialysis works and some of the dangers associated with it. There are other heavy topics included such as abortion, drug addiction, gang violence, and other life-threatening diseases like cancer.

The topics may be heavy and tough, but the emotion swings the other way too—it’s so easy to care for these characters. Many secondary characters bring vibrancy to the storyline and the protagonists’ lives. For example, J.R., who sits next to Darnell during dialysis sessions, is able to bring fun and laughter into a place that can be bleak. His place in Darnell and Rachel’s lives expands as the story progresses.

The scenarios that occur are not far-fetched, but the amount of bad things that happen to this group of people can feel like too much at times. In the real world, sometimes it does pour, so it’s realistic even if it is emotionally burdensome. The characters’ reactions and feelings surrounding these bad events are the crux of this story, and the plot can feel a little thin as a result.

Busch takes special care to balance the devastating lows with the highs of life, like the feeling of gratitude, appreciation, love, and friendship. A real tear-jerker of a story, Chance at Life highlights humanity’s struggles from various angles, especially from those suffering with chronic illness and their loved ones who try to help and support as much as possible.

Thank you for reading Chelsey Tucker’s book review of Chance at Life by Susan Ellison Busch! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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