“a great doctor must have a huge heart and a distended aorta through which pumps a vast lake of compassion and human kindness.”

Adam Kay once had a different life, after training for years he finally qualified as a Junior Doctor, this is a collection of his own personal diaries, the highs and lows in detail. Adam tells us about the stretch that the NHS is under but also talks about some of the quite humorous instances that he faces when in Gynocology…including some questionable choices by the general public.

I thought about reading this for a while and when I found it on Audible I thought I might as well give it a shot, this was said to be funny as well as showing the life of a Junior Doctor. This book is something else, a real eye-opener that honestly makes me want to campaign alongside NHS staff for more rights for them because they do so much for us.

If you ever think that doctors get a lot of money, kindly read this. Just the sheer number of hours, the training and the situations that they face are astounding. I must stress that through the majority of the book there is no mention of the political, this is very much a funny and thoughtful account of what it is like to be an NHS doctor. Kay talks about the detachment he’s supposed to have but how some patients he can’t help but remember. How the job that he’s passionate about destroys any sense of a social life and the events that lead to him leaving the profession in 2010.

I felt like this was more than a book, it was an insight into the lives of those who don’t get glamorised on screen. Remember, while you’re enjoying your family, someone else is giving up time with theirs. While you’re sick, someone else will take care of you. It’s easy to get frustrated with waiting times and lists but you can really see the pressures that doctors face through Kay’s words.

I felt emotional while reading this but I laughed a lot too. Of course, there are elements which are sombre, but Kay has a way of writing that makes everyday life seem like a comedy sketch with some hardships thrown in. It certainly gets the balance right when it comes to your emotions but know that you will feel them.

Of course, this was a 5-star read. I wasn’t sure initially but once I got in I couldn’t stop. This was absolutely incredible, well thought out and really showed the life of a doctor. My favourite part was a letter at the end to the Health Secretary, the only point I could feel anger and rightly so. This is not a political book, that’s not the purpose but it makes clear what our politicians are choosing to ignore.