I’m a huge fan of documentaries, particularly those made by Ken Burns. His entertaining and educational style has brought history alive for recent generations. I was pleased when his documentary about Prohibition released just after I finished writing Mistaken, my debut novel. His most recent work, Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies, once again touches on history I’ve incorporated into a recent book. It’s almost spooky! This time he details the history, understanding, and research related to cancer.
The true story of 21-year-old medical student Emil Grubbe (and several of his contemporaries) inspired me to write the characters of Dr. Robert King and Dr. Gerald Larkspur who appear in both Out of the Ruins and the soon-to-release Beyond the Ashes. Experimenting with X-ray radiation in 1896, Grubbe theorized it might have positive effects on malignant tumors. His early research proved promising. X-ray research surged in popularity, with doctors around the world hailing it as a miracle cure for cancer and many other maladies.
But, the harmful effects of radiation? These were yet to be discovered.
That’s the story I tell in Beyond the Ashes. The lengths that these scientists went to in search of cures struck me as heroic, but the price they paid was tragic. When I was plotting the novel, this question haunted me–What would it be like if a doctor began showing symptoms of the very disease he was striving to cure? How could he tell the woman he loves? And how would she react, especially if she’s already lost one husband?
Because of these weighty topics, writing Beyond the Ashes proved a challenge. But out of that experience came two of my favorite characters of all time and a most powerful love story. This verse came to life in the pages:
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Isaiah 61:1-3.
I can’t wait for this book to release on June 16. I’m praying over it and all who choose to open its covers. Will you join me?
If you’d like to watch the PBS documentary, you can find all three episodes on Youtube or on the PBS website. The first episode, Magic Bullets, talks about the history of cancer research. The story of Emil Grubbe begins at about the 35:43 mark (imbedded below). You might also be interested in the section just before that which details the work of cancer surgeon William Halstead (30:00). He is the inspiration for another character and scene in Beyond the Ashes. I don’t want to spoil the story for you, but you’ll recognize the conflict when you read the book.
Blessings!
Karen