16. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

[sumofparts.livejournal.com]

The book is a collection of connected short stories about a group of Canadian doctors in the times before, during and after medical school. I thought the author did an excellent job showing the human side in the practice of medicine. No, scratch that. It's more showing the side that we normally don't see - the frustration, emotional turmoil, stress and indifference -- and it's glorious. There was a lot of variation in theme and writing style to suit the stories. I don't watch a lot of the medical dramas but I imagine some of these topics are explored in mass media. Still, I felt that even if they're not new, they're written in a compelling way. There were stories touching on interracial relationships, on what it means to be a good doctor, on being ethical and honest towards patients and their families, on where the obligation of being a doctor begins and ends. I really loved the book and I highly recommend it.

Comments

[beachlass.livejournal.com]

Hey! I just read that last week!

I enjoyed it too, but found it rather depressing.

[sumofparts.livejournal.com]

I just read that last week!
Me too! But I never got around to posting till now. I'd like to hear, uh, read more of your thoughts on the book if you wanted to share them.

found it rather depressing
Same here especially when I found out my favourite character had died.