Sacrament A Novel
Sacrament A Novel by Susan Straight, published by Catapult on October 28, 2025, is a poignant exploration of resilience during a crisis. Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the narrative follows a group of nurses in the ICU at a San Bernardino hospital as they navigate the challenges of their demanding profession while striving to protect their community. The story centers on Larette Embers, Cherrise Martinez, and Marisol Manalang, who face personal struggles and sacrifices as they work tirelessly amidst the chaos of a health crisis.
Readers will find a compelling depiction of friendship and the complexities of domestic life as the nurses confront their fears and uncertainties. The novel delves into themes of medical challenges, the impact of divorce, and the bonds formed in times of adversity. As the plot unfolds, the search for Cherrise’s missing daughter intertwines with the nurses’ experiences, revealing the emotional toll of their work and the profound connections they forge. With 352 pages, this edition offers a deep dive into the lives of those on the front lines, highlighting their bravery and the quiet heroism that often goes unnoticed.
Official synopsis Publisher
From National Book Award finalist Susan Straight, a captivating new novel about a group of nurses fighting through the first year of a pandemic and the beloved California community they will risk their lives to protect
In August 2020, a group of nurses are working in the ICU at a hospital in San Bernardino at the height of a Covid surge: Larette Embers, whose husband, Grief, is an animal control officer; Cherrise Martinez, whose husband died years ago in a car crash, and whose daughter Raquel has been sent to a Coachella date farm to live with her great-aunt to avoid the virus; and Marisol Manalang, born in the Philippines but based in Sacramento. To safeguard their families, the nurses are living in a makeshift RV camp close to the hospital; they share food and cigarettes yet keep their work private. For this is a country in crisis, and they are assisting strangers at the edge of death with infinite tenderness and growing desperation.
As the nurses struggle with the skyrocketing number of sick patients, Cherisse’s daughter goes missing. Grief’s friend Johnny Frias, a California Highway Patrol officer, joins the search to find her, and the resulting journey leads to new love and loss, pushing all our characters to their breaking points. Brilliantly highlighting both the quiet heroism and extraordinary bravery of first responders, Sacrament once again proves that Susan Straight is the “essential voice in American writing and in writing of the West” (The New York Times).
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