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A review by sadiereadsagain
Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor
4.0
I picked this book up purely for the author. Even when I saw it was about an Antarctic expedition - something I wouldn't be interested in reading - I still went for it on the strength of the author. McGregor's [b:If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things|103345|If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things|Jon McGregor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1440279416l/103345._SY75_.jpg|1094652] is one of my favourite books, and so I wanted to see if I still loved his writing just as much.
Being dubious about the Antarctic setting, I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn in and hooked by this book. Three men carrying out studies from an isolated station find themselves in an unpredicted and incredibly dangerous situation. One man, the only experienced member of the team, is incapacitated and fails to act to avoid a tragic outcome. This section had me riveted, especially as it transpired what the nature of the incapacity was.
The book then abruptly changes setting and pace, but I found it no less compelling, as McGregor takes us back to England and into the world of aphasia and rehabilitation. We join a speech therapy group, and a wife struggling with her role as carer to a husband she has lived a very separate life to until he has to rely on her for almost his every need.
This book is a raw and real look at how the health we often take for granted can change in a moment, the repercussions of which can and very often do extend further than just the person suffering. There are no heroes or saints here, just a very realistic portrayal of how people are flung into either patient or carer mode with little prior warning, and how life changing that can be for both. Identities, relationships and the importance of telling our stories are all at the heart of this book, wrapped in exactly the quality plot and prose which I knew to expect from this fabulous author.
I was sent a Netgalley of this title from 4th Estate in return for a review. All opinions are my own.
Being dubious about the Antarctic setting, I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn in and hooked by this book. Three men carrying out studies from an isolated station find themselves in an unpredicted and incredibly dangerous situation. One man, the only experienced member of the team, is incapacitated and fails to act to avoid a tragic outcome. This section had me riveted, especially as it transpired what the nature of the incapacity was.
The book then abruptly changes setting and pace, but I found it no less compelling, as McGregor takes us back to England and into the world of aphasia and rehabilitation. We join a speech therapy group, and a wife struggling with her role as carer to a husband she has lived a very separate life to until he has to rely on her for almost his every need.
This book is a raw and real look at how the health we often take for granted can change in a moment, the repercussions of which can and very often do extend further than just the person suffering. There are no heroes or saints here, just a very realistic portrayal of how people are flung into either patient or carer mode with little prior warning, and how life changing that can be for both. Identities, relationships and the importance of telling our stories are all at the heart of this book, wrapped in exactly the quality plot and prose which I knew to expect from this fabulous author.
I was sent a Netgalley of this title from 4th Estate in return for a review. All opinions are my own.