A review by confessions_of_a_bookaholic
Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients by Adam Kay

3.0

The second book by Adam Kay, this one delves in to his life after leaving medicine. Focusing on his life starting out as a writer, with a few flashbacks thrown in, this book sees Adam open up about some difficult times in his life, and the impact that medical school and working in the NHS has had on his life. 

The first thing that anyone picking this book up needs to know is that it has a very different tone to This is Going to Hurt. It's more somber, delving in to some difficult times in Adam's life, and discusses some hard topics - see trigger warnings for these if you are concerned. 

There is some humour interspersed throughout the book, but the one is significantly less funny than the previous book, mainly because of a lot of the topics that are covered. Adam really lays his soul bare through this, and I can imagine it must have been difficult to write. He doesn't always portray himself in the best light, which is refreshing to read and helps remind you as a reader that he is human just like the rest of us. 

I admire the courage that it would take to write a book such as this, and the courage it takes to try and shed light on some of the failings of the system in training and supporting new doctors. Unfortunately as a reading experience I didn't enjoy this one as much as I expected to. I felt that many of the stories told are ones of day to day life, experienced by millions of people world wide. 

Trigger warnings include: eating disorders, rape, mental health.

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