ABSTRACT
This book is based upon the experience of a patient suffering from a growth in her brain, its subsequent removal by surgery, and the continuing account of the long days, weeks and months heading towards recovery. A considerable part of this book’s pertinence lies in the fact that the words in Part I are written by the patient, Alex Jelly, herself. We are given a vivid account of her experiences, perceptions, memories, and interactions between herself and other patients, hospital staff, and her friends and relations as she progresses from an anxious individual worried by strange symptoms, to medical diagnosis, actual surgery and long days of rehabilitation. It helps that the author is a talented writer, an ex-student of literature and keen observer of life’s mysteries, as well as being a student of varied philosophies and alternative ways of living. Her previous experiences give her writing an edge of insight that is rarely seen in other patient accounts. There is much humour, too, as Alex has a talent for finding and mocking the comedy she finds in errors, many of which can be found in all hospitals.
