Matt McAvoy Book Review

Difficult to tell how much of this book is fact and how much is fiction; I believe it is best considered as a fictionalized and humorous, slice-of-life look at the day-to-day of a GP in Britain in the 1980s, as told through the eyes of an educated observer - in this case his son.  The fact that the primary character is named after the author himself suggests that there is a great deal of this account based on actual events - though, as the blurb explains, it shouldn't be considered strictly "true", as the timelines wouldn't match up.

Written in the innocent diary style of Adrian Mole, Desmond recounts his and his father's daily onslaught of trauma and physical misery, from a long and varied list of needy patients.  It is absolutely fascinating, sometimes a real eye-opener, and other times a little repulsive, the wide and interesting range of ailments these dedicated professionals can come face to face with from one day to the next, and they absolutely deserve our admiration for it.  Generally, the book appears something of an opportunity for the author to share with the reader vast knowledge about a broad swathe of afflictions, from the bizarre to the common, to the “shouldn't-laugh-but...” to the downright critical and emergencies; as you might imagine, the book is incredibly poignant at times.  All told, though, it is narrated in a light-hearted voice, and the vignettes are both engrossing and trivial - and that is perhaps what I liked most about it: in one entry you'll be reading about a poor woman having to come to terms with a terrifying reality; in the next, Desmond momentarily gushes over his mother's toad-in-the-hole and gravy.  This delivery and style really does make it feel like we are sharing both the mundane and the devastating.  The writing style is endearing and pleasant to read.  Furthermore, it is separated throughout by some very engaging and welcome factual and academic explanation of the chapter, as well as some fantastic cartoon illustrations.  Personally, to be honest, given its style, I would have liked to see a touch more humour, as the light-hearted approach could have been capitalized on a little more in this respect.  But this is a small criticism of what is otherwise both an exceptionally entertaining book and an extremely informative, semi-fictionalized exposé, which is wonderfully written, presented with fun and entertainment in mind, and mostly surely an accurate portrayal of work in the medical profession. 

A great read for student doctors and those who like to know a little about practice in the nostalgia days.