Author: Vincent Lam
# of pages: 350
Plot Summary:
Fitzgerald, Ming, Chen, and Sri are four medical students whose ambitions are to become doctors. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a collection of stories that follow their paths from premed school, to their thrilling experiences on the job.
It begins with Fitzgerald's and Ming's molecular biology examination. We discover that they are very close friends, and would be romantic partners had Ming's parents allowed her to go beyond acquainting herself with a non-Chinese. They are firmly separated once Ming aces the exam and progresses to medical school while Fitzgerald does not make the cut-off.
She meets Chen and Sri there, and eventually, she marries Chen. She delivers a baby, Chen faces a long lineup of hospital patients, Sri must deal with an insane man, and Fitzgerald treats patients overseas as a flight doctor.
Opinion:
For the most part, I enjoyed reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. Vincent Lam described a view of the life of a doctor in a matter-of-fact way, and it was interesting to see some of the difficulties they endured, from premed to the actual job.
The Scotiabank Giller Prize winner also lived up to its glory, with its exquisite language (in most cases).
However, the adult content disturbed me greatly. I am accustomed to seeing profanity, but I felt that it was excessively used in this novel, to the point where I wondered if the author didn't realize how shallow the phrases were. The extensive description of what Zoltan the paramedic saw during one of his missions nauseated me. I enjoyed reading some of the stories, but I also regretted reading others.
I would perhaps recommend this collection to some adults, so long as they can stand reading some of the content better than I did. I would certainly suggest that children and the sensitive refrain from reading some of the stories, since I assume that the parts I was uncomfortable with would be the same for some others.
Main themes and subjects:
- Medical school
- Healthcare
- Romance
- Family values
Genre: Realistic fiction
Rating: 3/5
Book review by Fiona T.
* 36 hours so far
* Can be published in the newsletter
2 comments:
Fiona,
Lam's book is very graphic and not for the faint of heart. I had my hands on a copy, one day and decided that it was a bit more than i wanted to read at that time. It is good that you put that advisory on the book for others.
Like you, many people liked the plot but thought it was a bit graphic.
Years ago, I read CIder House rules. This was again a case where the story was good but the cases a bit strong.
Good on you for reading this book and stretching your boundaries.
Catherine
fiona,
I talked with my friend who does adult reader's advisory. she is actually reading this book for her adult book club and says this book is a bit "dark" She like this type of humour.
Hilary did say that the book is very in depth but she reads forensic crime books so she did not find it all that graphic.
In her opinion, you were correct. This book is not for everyone.
Just thought you would be interested in Hilary's opinion.
catherine
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