A review by katkatniss
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Not a spoiler but it’s quite long and ranty.
Oof. Just accidentally finished This is Going to Hurt. It’s absolutely hilarious, the perfect blend of wit, humour, sadness, sensitivity and honesty. And the humour was so consistent throughout too. I’ve never read anything like it. I had to “ration my reading” too, in the words of the review by Jack Edwards—It was such a quick and irresistible read (great for reading slumps if you’re in one)! I couldn’t put it down and breezed through it in about three sittings. For some reason, in the beginning I thought that it might have been bordering on misogynistic at times, I couldn’t have been more wrong, it was respectful (now that I think about it, no one who witnesses childbirth like they do will likely be misogynistic, after seeing what women go through to give birth). Kay really has got such comedic talent. Even though I didn’t get all the medical jargon (I take full responsibility, he did a great job of explaining with humour, blame my memory), I still enjoyed it. And I love how he doesn’t explain and elaborate on the joke sometimes, just lays it out for us to see (like he acknowledges our being able to recognise it, like we are in on the joke), which is very smart and makes it even funnier somehow. Will definitely recommend (and have already).
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