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The Vitals
Deep inside Tracy's body live the organs of the peritoneal cavity.
Ute, a wandering womb.
Rage, an existential spleen.
Gaster, a gleeful gorger.
Liv, a workaholic liver.
But there is also Baby, an ever-growing tumour, and Baby's child Bunny, whose cells are multiplying alarmingly.
Together, the organs must fight for homeostasis ... and Tracy's survival.
The Vitals is Tracy Sorensen's cancer memoir transformed by imagination into something far richer and stranger. Narrated by her internal organs, it will make you infinitely more aware of the peculiar world inside your body, and illuminate all the hidden parts that make you human.
'This book pulls off the holy trinity of great it's experimental, playful and meaningful all at once. I felt changed after reading it, put back together differently - in the same way that Sorensen was left radically changed after surviving cancer. It has shifted my view of organs and bodies (my own and others') forever. There's a courage that animates this book that is hard to define, but I think it's the sort of artistic and personal courage that comes not only from enduring something that is beyond words, but of still being willing to take creative risks on the other side in order to 'voice' the unsayable. The Vitals is suffused by courage of this kind - and I'm grateful to Sorensen for risking so much to bring this book into being.' - Ceridwen Dovey, award-winning author of Only the Animals
Praise for The Vitals
'The most original book about cancer ever written' - Nick Horne
'Tracy Sorensen writes and thinks like nobody else. We're so lucky to have her' - Tegan Bennett Daylight
'Deftly crafted and wildly original' - Dr Leah Kaminsky
'The Vitals quivers with life. It is thrillingly visceral and deeply moving - literally' - Prof. Stephen J. Simpson
Ute, a wandering womb.
Rage, an existential spleen.
Gaster, a gleeful gorger.
Liv, a workaholic liver.
But there is also Baby, an ever-growing tumour, and Baby's child Bunny, whose cells are multiplying alarmingly.
Together, the organs must fight for homeostasis ... and Tracy's survival.
The Vitals is Tracy Sorensen's cancer memoir transformed by imagination into something far richer and stranger. Narrated by her internal organs, it will make you infinitely more aware of the peculiar world inside your body, and illuminate all the hidden parts that make you human.
'This book pulls off the holy trinity of great it's experimental, playful and meaningful all at once. I felt changed after reading it, put back together differently - in the same way that Sorensen was left radically changed after surviving cancer. It has shifted my view of organs and bodies (my own and others') forever. There's a courage that animates this book that is hard to define, but I think it's the sort of artistic and personal courage that comes not only from enduring something that is beyond words, but of still being willing to take creative risks on the other side in order to 'voice' the unsayable. The Vitals is suffused by courage of this kind - and I'm grateful to Sorensen for risking so much to bring this book into being.' - Ceridwen Dovey, award-winning author of Only the Animals
Praise for The Vitals
'The most original book about cancer ever written' - Nick Horne
'Tracy Sorensen writes and thinks like nobody else. We're so lucky to have her' - Tegan Bennett Daylight
'Deftly crafted and wildly original' - Dr Leah Kaminsky
'The Vitals quivers with life. It is thrillingly visceral and deeply moving - literally' - Prof. Stephen J. Simpson
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2023
7 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Sorensen
4 books39 followersTracy Sorensen was an Australian novelist, filmmaker and academic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 3, 2023
I love a memoir with a twist, a unique approach that up-ends your expectations. The Vitals evokes Chris Flynn, or Laura Jean McKay – Australian authors who de-anthropomorphise perspective in their writing, with a healthy spoonful of humour to make the searing insight go down.
My full review of The Vitals is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of The Vitals is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
September 6, 2023
Weird & Good.
October 22, 2023
Of the 150+ books I've read this year, this is the one my loved ones might most expect as a gift from me. It feels almost indescribable, but what it definitely is is good. And fun. And a page-turner. None of which is what you would expect from a book Storygraph categorised as a cancer memoir.
Storygraph is mostly wrong - Sorenson describes this as a novel, which is where most booksellers are shelving it. It is a work of tremendous imagination - Sorenson conjures a community of organs, living productively in her peritoneal cavity, who must adapt and respond when new "baby" organs start growing among them. Sorensen's depiction of this community is wildly clever, using story to illustrate both form and emotion. Ute the Uterus wanders defiantly, both frustrated with her lot and determined to simply create fibroid art rather than be reduced to her reproductive functions; Rage the spleen has a sensitive, angsty gothlike persona, Liv the chemist works endless hours to keep the whole system running - most of the metaphors are too wonderful to spoil, but there is little fudging and I honestly learned quite a lot about my "insides". The group meet by Zoom, bicker about workloads and philosophical questions such as whether "Tracy" is an entity or a container, and mourn the loss of their direct communication with Queen Bee brain, long since withdrawn to delegate their operations to autopilot in favour of marking and other esoteric pursuits.
The book is surprisingly tense as we see whether they will work out what is happening and what they can do about it. It has been quite a while since I wanted to get back to reading quite so badly, just to find out what happens. There are cheer-out-loud moments, as well as moments of poignancy. And there is something wonderful in its celebration of homeostasis - the simple honour of staying alive. And, of course, the pleasures of a good chuck.
Storygraph is mostly wrong - Sorenson describes this as a novel, which is where most booksellers are shelving it. It is a work of tremendous imagination - Sorenson conjures a community of organs, living productively in her peritoneal cavity, who must adapt and respond when new "baby" organs start growing among them. Sorensen's depiction of this community is wildly clever, using story to illustrate both form and emotion. Ute the Uterus wanders defiantly, both frustrated with her lot and determined to simply create fibroid art rather than be reduced to her reproductive functions; Rage the spleen has a sensitive, angsty gothlike persona, Liv the chemist works endless hours to keep the whole system running - most of the metaphors are too wonderful to spoil, but there is little fudging and I honestly learned quite a lot about my "insides". The group meet by Zoom, bicker about workloads and philosophical questions such as whether "Tracy" is an entity or a container, and mourn the loss of their direct communication with Queen Bee brain, long since withdrawn to delegate their operations to autopilot in favour of marking and other esoteric pursuits.
The book is surprisingly tense as we see whether they will work out what is happening and what they can do about it. It has been quite a while since I wanted to get back to reading quite so badly, just to find out what happens. There are cheer-out-loud moments, as well as moments of poignancy. And there is something wonderful in its celebration of homeostasis - the simple honour of staying alive. And, of course, the pleasures of a good chuck.
October 4, 2023
3.75 stars!
A very unique storyline, from the perspective of the internal organs.
‘Can’t you remember the law of the separate holes’ and I think that’s some good advice to take away.
A very unique storyline, from the perspective of the internal organs.
‘Can’t you remember the law of the separate holes’ and I think that’s some good advice to take away.
May 15, 2025
Oh my goodness. What a great book. The hours and hours of research that must have gone into it. Clever and intriguing
July 27, 2023
The Vitals by Tracy Sorensen ✨
✨ Wow. ✨ This was unlike anything I have ever read before- A cancer memoir written from the perspective of the internal organs whom are dealing with the invasion of Baby, an ever-growing tumor.
These characters have spunk and attitude for days. The way they were constructed and portrayed was genius. The entire plot is anthropomorphising done on a twisted level - but in the very best way.
This book was SO clever and thought provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I read an article by The Guardian yesterday saying that the author discovered she’s going into battle again with the nasty C word. Sending lots of love your way. You’ve got this! 💪🏼
Bloody brilliant book- I highly recommend.
✨ Wow. ✨ This was unlike anything I have ever read before- A cancer memoir written from the perspective of the internal organs whom are dealing with the invasion of Baby, an ever-growing tumor.
These characters have spunk and attitude for days. The way they were constructed and portrayed was genius. The entire plot is anthropomorphising done on a twisted level - but in the very best way.
This book was SO clever and thought provoking and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I read an article by The Guardian yesterday saying that the author discovered she’s going into battle again with the nasty C word. Sending lots of love your way. You’ve got this! 💪🏼
Bloody brilliant book- I highly recommend.
Read
March 29, 2024dnf
not for me
not for me
May 16, 2024
a unique and very australian way of dealing with cancer
June 26, 2024
Weird, wacky. I loved it.
October 4, 2023
Very strange to begin the first couple of pages- giving life and thoughts to what we usually would consider inanimate objects - our organs. This really made me think that although they don’t speak, our organs are very much alive! They each have a role they’re carrying out and a function that enables us to live.
By the end of the first chapter I understood the writing style and I was hooked. A good chapter conclusion leaves you wanting to jump straight into the next chapter and this did just that… at the start. By the middle I sort of started to lose interested and was more focused on wanting to know how the author was going to deal with beating the tumour (we know she survives since she wrote the book).
Enjoyed the illustrations and it was nice to add to the perception of how she viewed her organs. I also enjoyed that, as it’s not always usual to have illustrations in an adult book.
Found it difficult sometimes to understand what was the fictional world of the organ vs a body part or factual bodily event. Similarly, the descriptions of the characters confused me, like Baby wearing “a long dark coat” - I couldn’t form a concrete view of them because sometimes they were described like people but then sometimes they were like organs (eg “the hollow tube of [Ute’s] fallopian arms”).
I really liked the part when Rage (the spleen) was talking about creating a macrophage and it not feeling special. Reading about a function of the body, I realised how important “common” is, in this instance, to keep a person alive. But I took this as symbolic to encourage us to always look at any of our accomplishments with pride. Albeit common, looking at it in this way, anything that contributes to our life and living it positively, actually is an achievement.
Further, I enjoyed learning about the body and some of its functions but I think readers with a medical background might have been able to appreciate the story and metaphors a little more. Or perhaps their medical knowledge would’ve hindered their ability to step into this fantasy real of the human body 😅
Bunny - Multiply like rabbits - smart
And smart cover design, I only understood it when I got to the chapter on Bunny. This metaphor was my favourite of all.
Didn’t care for the two pages where Folderol lists the things he’s buried by? Skipped it all. Was also confused by who this character even was since they weren’t listed at the start.
Confused about the order of time, had she gone through menopause or not?
The last chapter and the authors note were fantastic. Probably could just read the final chapter 😂 I spent the entire book wondering how they’d handle the ending and really enjoyed the description in the final chapter. My heart goes out to the author and her experience.
By the end of the first chapter I understood the writing style and I was hooked. A good chapter conclusion leaves you wanting to jump straight into the next chapter and this did just that… at the start. By the middle I sort of started to lose interested and was more focused on wanting to know how the author was going to deal with beating the tumour (we know she survives since she wrote the book).
Enjoyed the illustrations and it was nice to add to the perception of how she viewed her organs. I also enjoyed that, as it’s not always usual to have illustrations in an adult book.
Found it difficult sometimes to understand what was the fictional world of the organ vs a body part or factual bodily event. Similarly, the descriptions of the characters confused me, like Baby wearing “a long dark coat” - I couldn’t form a concrete view of them because sometimes they were described like people but then sometimes they were like organs (eg “the hollow tube of [Ute’s] fallopian arms”).
I really liked the part when Rage (the spleen) was talking about creating a macrophage and it not feeling special. Reading about a function of the body, I realised how important “common” is, in this instance, to keep a person alive. But I took this as symbolic to encourage us to always look at any of our accomplishments with pride. Albeit common, looking at it in this way, anything that contributes to our life and living it positively, actually is an achievement.
Further, I enjoyed learning about the body and some of its functions but I think readers with a medical background might have been able to appreciate the story and metaphors a little more. Or perhaps their medical knowledge would’ve hindered their ability to step into this fantasy real of the human body 😅
Bunny - Multiply like rabbits - smart
And smart cover design, I only understood it when I got to the chapter on Bunny. This metaphor was my favourite of all.
Didn’t care for the two pages where Folderol lists the things he’s buried by? Skipped it all. Was also confused by who this character even was since they weren’t listed at the start.
Confused about the order of time, had she gone through menopause or not?
The last chapter and the authors note were fantastic. Probably could just read the final chapter 😂 I spent the entire book wondering how they’d handle the ending and really enjoyed the description in the final chapter. My heart goes out to the author and her experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2023
I wonder sometimes what happens inside my body, what the conversations are like between the cells that are fighting to be comfortable and those that are fighting to bring me pain. As someone with a chronic disease, I don’t imagine every one of them to be any less than a battle. And yet, this isn’t the bloodiest conversation anyone can be having.
The Vitals is Tracy Sorensen’s memoir that tells her experience with peritoneal cancer. She isn’t the one narrating this story, but her organs. Through this storytelling that has come out from a ton of research, she shows us how we should be looking at our bodies and how we should be curious of our inner workings. And it is one of the most original nonfictions disguised as fiction that I’ve ever read.
It is an amalgamation of many different genres, each more engaging than the last. There’s a romance, a thriller, a mystery, a domestic fiction - all with a subversive element of fantasy. It is an ecosystem of its own and is so well-written since at one point, I got so invested in the plot that I almost forgot where it was set and who the principal characters were. But the details are so intricate, so well-fleshed out (pun not intended), and so well imbibed, that it is impossible for you to actually really forget anything about it.
Liv the liver, Kelly the gall bladder, Gaster the stomach, Col the colon, Rage the spleen, Panno the pancreas, Ute the uterus, a wandering womb, Peri the peritoneum are among the principal characters that we hear from, their experience with bringing Baby and Bunny, two tumors that look like they aren’t stopping anytime soon.
When we say we have an ‘inner battle’ going on, we usually mean it in a figurative way. But Tracy Sorensen takes this concept and turns it into a literal inner battle and tells her story, her battle with cancer in such an original and witty way, it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. By the end of the book, she’d been in remission for 8 years, but unfortunately, her cancer has returned. She calls it a ‘cosmic joke’, which is understandable because the book itself is about surviving cancer.
Irrespective of what genre you usually prefer, do try to read this one. It’s absolutely brilliant and one that I will always recommend.
The Vitals is Tracy Sorensen’s memoir that tells her experience with peritoneal cancer. She isn’t the one narrating this story, but her organs. Through this storytelling that has come out from a ton of research, she shows us how we should be looking at our bodies and how we should be curious of our inner workings. And it is one of the most original nonfictions disguised as fiction that I’ve ever read.
It is an amalgamation of many different genres, each more engaging than the last. There’s a romance, a thriller, a mystery, a domestic fiction - all with a subversive element of fantasy. It is an ecosystem of its own and is so well-written since at one point, I got so invested in the plot that I almost forgot where it was set and who the principal characters were. But the details are so intricate, so well-fleshed out (pun not intended), and so well imbibed, that it is impossible for you to actually really forget anything about it.
Liv the liver, Kelly the gall bladder, Gaster the stomach, Col the colon, Rage the spleen, Panno the pancreas, Ute the uterus, a wandering womb, Peri the peritoneum are among the principal characters that we hear from, their experience with bringing Baby and Bunny, two tumors that look like they aren’t stopping anytime soon.
When we say we have an ‘inner battle’ going on, we usually mean it in a figurative way. But Tracy Sorensen takes this concept and turns it into a literal inner battle and tells her story, her battle with cancer in such an original and witty way, it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. By the end of the book, she’d been in remission for 8 years, but unfortunately, her cancer has returned. She calls it a ‘cosmic joke’, which is understandable because the book itself is about surviving cancer.
Irrespective of what genre you usually prefer, do try to read this one. It’s absolutely brilliant and one that I will always recommend.
October 4, 2023
Having finished the book and read the author’s note and acknowledgements, I would probably give this book a 3.5 stars. This book was a non-traditional cancer memoir that has an extremely interesting concept. You could tell from the outset that the author had a deeply personal connection and knowledge of cancer and what it does to each of the organs. I did really enjoy the metaphors used - such as the bunnies - or breeding like rabbits - for the tumors. The organ board meeting concept was witty and funny and the idea of ‘Panno’ being a millennial gamer, playing his “shooting games” to hit the enzymes, fats and carbohydrates was very clever. During the story, I had assumed that it may have been colon or bowel cancer, I was not expecting it to be a form of ovarian cancer triggered by the BROCA gene. Having finished the novel and then reading the authors note, I was so pleased to find out that she had been cancer-free for eight years. However, I was quite saddened to learn from her blog that she has recently (as of 2023) been re-diagnosed. The work that those who work in oncology do an amazing job everyday, and really are the true heroes, but kudos to Tracey for sharing her story and being able to put a different spin on a cancer memoir.
September 30, 2023
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 🌟🌟
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲: Tracy Sorensen 🫀⚔️🦠
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: About cancer, narrated by her internal organs, it will make you infinitely more aware of the peculiar world inside your body, and illuminate all the hidden parts that make you human.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: Author has an interesting way of telling stories, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐡 from point of view of a pet bird, and in The Vitals her internal organs how they must of have feared when cancer arrived.
𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦: It would had worked better as novella.
𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐭: This is definitely had an interesting concept but I believe it would have worked better as novella as after a while the story itself looses steam, nothing substantial to cling on it.
𝐈𝐧 case you're new to author’s work, in order of my faves of author’s books are ....
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 🌟🌟
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐡 🌟🌟
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲: Tracy Sorensen 🫀⚔️🦠
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: About cancer, narrated by her internal organs, it will make you infinitely more aware of the peculiar world inside your body, and illuminate all the hidden parts that make you human.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: Author has an interesting way of telling stories, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐡 from point of view of a pet bird, and in The Vitals her internal organs how they must of have feared when cancer arrived.
𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐦: It would had worked better as novella.
𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐩 𝐈𝐭: This is definitely had an interesting concept but I believe it would have worked better as novella as after a while the story itself looses steam, nothing substantial to cling on it.
𝐈𝐧 case you're new to author’s work, in order of my faves of author’s books are ....
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 🌟🌟
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐡 🌟🌟
September 17, 2023
I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this intriguing and creative take on a cancer autobiography. It was entertaining and thoughtful, although perhaps a little belaboured in the process of growth to discovery.
November 21, 2023
Not a book for me. Interesting concept, turning body organs into characters. I got about 20 pages in - nit a book to read whilst travelling in India where all things are complex- did my head. Maybe another time and place..
November 22, 2023
I'm giving it 4 stars for the pure imagination of body organs with personalities and such a story. Quite good / it's not a spoiler it's in the prologue but trigger warning if your sensitive to a cancer story
November 30, 2023
A very unique concept for a novel, but unfortunately not for me. I found myself skimming through the last quarter of the book to find out what happened; not enough storyline for me. Perhaps also not the sort of book someone who works in healthcare would enjoy, as I definitely didn’t.
December 26, 2023
So clever and engaging! Sorensen's personification of her organs and tumours is a fascinating take on the narrative of illness from within the body. The writing is engaging, with much subtle humour. Highly recommend.
January 16, 2024
I really wanted to love this. I got to about 1/3 of the way through and quit. I love the creative approach so much but I just kept getting lost and thinking ‘what’s happening here? What’s this got to do with anything’. Nurse brain enjoyed the good a&p of it all.
March 12, 2024
Another good read from the author of The Lucky Galah, although very different. It is the story of her experience with cancer (thankfully she is now clear) told by her vital organs. This unusual approach could have flopped but she does it really well. A fascinating read which will make you think.
September 30, 2023
Original description of how cancer cells disguise themselves and manipulate and co-opt normal cells. Chilling. A brave book.
November 25, 2023
This book is weird and compelling and perfect.
March 31, 2024
I did enjoy the book and the pictures. I felt sad for the organs that weren't coping. Such a different way to write. I am about to start in her first book.
July 17, 2024
Very hard to understand at times but very creative and overall a good read. Audio book was mint
July 23, 2024
Imaginative but not my cup of tea. The last few pages were inspiring.
November 14, 2024
Original, quirky and entertaining.
Organs do the talking.
Organs do the talking.
May 13, 2025
I seriously loved this, it made so much sense anatomically having the organs as characters and helped me usderstand their role in the illness. I have never read a book like that. So easy to read and follow the story but also knowing the bigger picture of the world outside of the body. Very clever. I think I will re-read it at some point.
December 31, 2024
Clever, great imagination
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews