A Tale of Two Medics: Book Review by Asha Seth

Author: Dr. V. Srinivas | Genre: Medical Fiction | Pages: 208

Medicine is a noble profession, but an unscrupulous doctor can turn it into a
business and create a bad name for the whole medical community.
Why would a doctor exploit a patient’s unwavering trust to embark on this
unethical path? Follow two doctors, born in the same town a few months apart, as they tread
divergent paths. What makes one abide with the Hippocrates oath and the other
ignore the principles of the vocation?

A Tale of Two Medics’ aims at bringing to light the malpractices we have seen, read, or heard in the world of medicine. The book races through the lives of two friends Cannon and Sonny; who live in New York and Mumbai, respectively. These characters have two very different personas and mindsets and what sets them apart are their choices. While Sonny’s aim is improving his patient’s wellbeing, Cannon wants to earn plenty. That’s where their ways differ and they resort to different means of operating in their field.

The book is fast-paced, has multitude of references to illegitimate practices; not uncommon to the world. Attention to detail is classic and some scenes are gripping albeit disturbing. The language is simple and more focus is imparted to the narration; which is a splendid job in itself. Most of the illegal practices mentioned are a common stay in geographies across the world. And that the author has tried to shed some light on them makes it a noble attempt. The credibility increases tenfold as the author himself is an established medical practitioner and hence, the reader gets a real; and not fabricated, account of matters in either good or bad light.

While the book itself is a fairly short novel, the constant flitting between different timelines makes it difficult to grasp the story and one tends to get distracted often. This causes a constant breakdown of concentration thus leaving the reading experience tad insufferable. That that, the plotline is interesting enough to keep you glued right till the end; even though you can see the end coming and know how that’s going to unfold.

‘A Tale of Two Medics’ is mundaneness wrapped exquisitely with present day nuances to hammer down the one universal fact – Greed only destroys. This novel is a moral handbook of sorts for beginners in any practice and at that, the author has done a splendid job. Recommended for an eye-opening reading experience, for any level of readers.