This book had been on my radar since it became a bestseller when first released – but I hadn’t got round to buying / downloading it.  I’d talked about it to a lovely friend – and next thing I know, Mr Amazon delivered me a hard copy through the post.   I love getting exciting post – especially books (although I did have a minor panic that I’d been ordering stuff after drinking again – so had to check with my friend that she was the sender!!)

Here is the blurb:

“Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.

Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay’s This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn’t – about life on and off the hospital ward.”

This book is BRILLIANT – I loved it from start to finish.  Yes, Adam Kay is sarcastic, a tiny bit evil sometimes, and uses foul language – but that pretty much sums up me and my friends too!!

A large proportion of the book is set in labour wards.  Having been there 4 times myself it brings it all back.  I had 2 children on the NHS and paid privately for 2 to be delivered – in fact there’s a whole new blog post that’s sat in my drafts for months just about that subject (I bet my 15 year old daughter’s mates who stalk my blog can’t wait for that one!!) But the one thing I just have to comment on is that Adam talks about delivering a baby for a private consultant, when it would be the consultant getting paid a wedge for doing it – and it’s not like he’d give a refund.  Well!  When child number 3 was born, I’d been induced, and the private consultant decided he’d got time to go back to his office to do some paperwork.  The baby had other ideas and made a very swift arrival – ably delivered by the resident midwife.  The incredibly guilty consultant turned up afterwards – but did write us a 50% refund cheque!!  (Although the cynic in me would say that’s because he already knew we were planning number 4 and he didn’t want to miss out on those fees…….)

Whilst being very cleverly written, and an entertaining read, this book is also a real insight into the life of a doctor.  In fact, just after I’d started reading it, I went to an A Levels option evening for the aforementioned daughter – and was chatting to one of the other Mums whose daughter wants to be a medic.  A GP friend of theirs had given the 15 year old a copy of this book to show her what life as a junior doctor really was like.  Who knew it could be used for recruitment (or possibly anti-recruitment) as well as being an excellent read!

Don’t read this book if you’re easily offended or don’t like bad language – but otherwise, it’s a must read.

As soon as I’d finished it I passed it on to a friend, as I was sure she and her husband (who co-incidentally is also a clever, caustic, anti religion Adam!) would love it. I think wanting to share it is definitely the sign of a good book.