The Patient

by Nick Tyrone

A chilling dystopian novel about bodily autonomy and the medical establishment, for fans of Andrew Hunter Murray's THE LAST DAY or Christina Dalcher's Q.

She went willingly to the hospital. She couldn't have anticipated how difficult it would be to leave...

Mr and Mrs Sincope are anticipating the birth of their first child. On the way to the hospital for Mrs Sincope's induction their squabbling over their daughter's name betrays an unquestioning trust that everything will go to plan. And why wouldn't it?

But as the hours pass and Mrs Sincope's labour doesn't begin, the couple start to worry. And as the hours bleed into days and there is still no sign of progress, it becomes clear that there is something far more sinister going on behind the white hospital doors...

Genres: Mystery, Horror, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2021

About the author

Nick Tyrone has lived in London for almost twenty years, having moved to the UK when he was in his mid-twenties. He has run several British think tanks, including CentreForum.

Nick writes for outlets such as the New Statesman, but can be reliably found at www.nicktyrone.com, where he writes almost daily.

He has a new book, "Politics is Murder", published in 2020 by Headline Accent.

Reviews

[Mel Pretorius · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Patient" by Nick Tyrone starts off "normal" with a woman and her husband visiting the hospital for the induction of their first child, Faith. However as time goes on , it turns slightly surreal , almost a black comedy as Dr Blot visits Mrs Sincope but she hasn't dilated after 48 hours of being induced. In fact, she is in the hospital for months! During this time her husband goes back to work and she becomes addicted to pink pills. Enjoyable but most bizarre.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Patient is a surreal, chilling and bizarre dystopian thriller interspersed with dark humour about bodily autonomy and the medical establishment and featuring some Kafkaesque elements throughout. That said, I can certainly understand why people’s sensibilities may have been offended by some of the language that was perhaps trying too hard to be edgy. It revolves around a married couple, Mr and Mrs Sincope, who are expecting a child and attend the hospital in order for the mother to be induced. On the way, Mr Sincope has the bright idea of naming their kid Felicia after the Skoda they are driving, and this is precisely the sort of "insensitive, passive-aggressive comment that is essential to understanding his personality", his missus states. It's essentially a domestic thriller set in a speculative science fiction world or dystopia where we get to know the Sincope family, their upbringing, their opinions and their lives right up to the induced labour of their unborn daughter, Faith, and beyond.

Inducing birth is done millions of times a day around the globe, but this time it doesn't appear to be quite so simple as sinister forces envelop the area of the hospital. It is performed by Dr Blot, an obstetrician whose door sign incorrectly reads "OBSTETICS". The following day Mrs Sincope is visited in the ward by Dr Sharp who tells her that her cervix has not dilated a single centimetre since she was induced around 48 hours ago. It soon comes to the fore that months have passed since she became a seemingly permanent fixture at the hospital and the story continues showing her husband attending work and carrying on with life before becoming addicted to pills. A whole year later she is still present on the ante-natal ward and has not given birth. This is the tale of that crazy year.

This barmy yet oddly compelling read begins in a very normal fashion with the story of their pregnancy and troubles having been featured in a magazine called Mammary Monthly (lol). It's an almost farcical affair and a witty, unusual black comedy piece. But swiftly it descends into snipes at northerners and their accents, foreign nannies deemed not good enough for Mr Sincope's parents when he required childcare (despite him then marrying a Mancunian) and the spouting of road-rage-induced profanity. The characters are quirky and highly idiosyncratic, and although neither main character is particularly likeable, they make up for that by being multifaceted and intriguing. A darkly comical, off the wall read that I highly recommend if you're into thoroughly strange and refreshingly original works of fiction, however, it's an acquired taste and will definitely not be enjoyed by everyone who picks it up.

[Kid Ferrous · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple expecting a baby go into hospital so the mother can be induced. The procedure sounds routine but it turns out no to be quite so simple as dark forces are at work in the hospital.
This is an unexpectedly and darkly funny story populated with bizarre characters and bureaucratic madness.
The front cover belies the contents, so if you’re expecting a medical thriller you’ll be disappointed but this quirky story is highly recommended if you fancy something a bit left-field.

[Emziethebookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting read that had me hooked from the beginning all the way to the end as I needed to know the outcome which I was shocked when I did find out the ending but was more shocked at what the husband did, which not gonna lie I personally want to slap him if he was real, so I think he's lucky he's in the book and not right in front of me right now.
I did like the range of characters and the plot as well as it was quite a very unique read for me which I just don't understand some of the reviews it has got over the while it has been out.
I do recommend this book for anyone that wants to read something a little different and to work out the books ending also.

[Laura Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like nothing I've ever read before but I kind of enjoyed it. Was completely in the dark about where the story was going and the pacing did really change in the end. Not entirely sure what was resolved in the end but either way it kept me gripped.

[TERF &Proud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important book and strange it was written by a man (but probably says something about the times we live in). Whatever the haters on here claim, its about woman's bodily autonomy and why that's more important than every before, at least in the last 50 years. In a time when standing up for a woman's rights gets you called a TERF, as if that's a bad thing, we need more books like this which stand up for the very idea of why a woman's right to her own body is so important.

It follows a straight couple who are having a baby, going into hospital. The guy is a total dick, but that's the point. I took his character as representing the toxic male in its worst form. He doesn't want to be there when his wife gives birth and he eventually finds a weasily way of getting out of there, leaving his poor wife to fend for herself. Its a brilliant portrayal of why toxic masculinity is so dangerous.

I won't ruin any more of the plot. Again an important book given the age we unfortunately live in when the whole idea of what a woman even is is becoming more and more obscure.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billed as a ‘dark humour dystopian’ tale I am not sure after reading it if it fit’s any or all of the description
I mean its really bizarre, Mr and Mrs Sincope go to hospital as she is about to give birth and a year later she is still on the ante natal ward having NOT given birth and the story is all based around that year
It certainly didn’t make me laugh out loud although some of the narrative was darkly witty, some excruciatingly the opposite has to be said
Some of the characters are funny, some are written so obnoxiously its hard not to be affronted by them
It’s a very weird read, very unusual and not for everyone ( some reviews have been more then clear making this point ) but I did continue reading and finished it, even though not sure I understood the ending after all that!

6/10
3 ( just ) Stars

[K Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very different but gripping from start to finish. Loved the ending. Found it very moving. A good book about dysfunctional couples, why they stay together, why they drift apart. Brutal but beautiful at the same time.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is easily the worst I have ever read. I put it down so many times and told myself it was a DNF but I couldn’t bear the thought of not finishing it. It had little to no story line and the characters were all unbearable. Not one thing in this book made me want to read on or to know anything more. The ending was just as confusing and poor which sums up the whole book.

[Gerald Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hard book to review. It blew me away and it covered so much in so few pages that I feel like I need to read it again to fully understand it all.

I will say that I think it covered what it feels like to be in a dysfunctional relationship perfectly. How two people can get together, get married, have a kid, all while being totally wrong for one another. The way it plays out here is tragic and really got to me.

As for the comments on this book being "offensive", well, I feel like I'm showing my age when I find this idea ridiculous. It's edgy I guess and certainly shoves your face in Mr Sincope's sexism and soft racism, but he's so clearly signposted as the bad guy, I don't get what the problem is. It reminds me a little of the controversy around Sally Rooney of late. I haven't read her book but apparently it has a character who says something racist in it and some reviewers are calling the book racist on that basis. Even though, again apparently as I haven't read the book, another character calls out the racism immediately! I just think everyone has got a bit tense around this stuff now. Take a book as a whole, see what it's trying to say, instead of nitpicking what one character says or does one time.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book if you want something different. It's like nothing else I've ever read. But don't read it if the idea of there being a sexist character will offend your delicate nature.

[Doris Kellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm confused about some of the reviews here. To me, this was obviously a book about the horrors that can take place when a woman is denied sovereignty over her own body. The protagonist's husband and the male doctors at the hospital wear down her reasoning, taking more and more control over her as the book goes on. Sure, the Kafka-like premise is weird and a lot of the incidental details are strange, but the moral of the story seemed really clear to me and I find it odd that this hasn't really been commented on anywhere.

In the negative, I felt the middle section of the book dragged a little - one thing I agree with other comments here is that perhaps this could have worked better as a short story. I read Nick Tyrone's last book "Politics is Murder", which I really liked and why I read this straight away - that book I liked a little better than this one. But I'm giving this one five stars because so many people seemed to have missed some obvious things about it, which makes me think maybe I'm missing some things in there as well!

[Gary Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about relationships, good and bad, and more importantly, the way the medical world has invaded all parts of our lives since the advent of Covid.

Mr and Mrs Sincope are about to have their first child. She is two weeks overdue, so she is due to have an induction. Unfortunately, the induction doesn't work and the couple is kept waiting, with medical staff who give incomplete or even misleading information. After a while, Mr Sincope leaves and once Mrs Sincope is at the hospital by herself, things take a turn for the sinister worse. I won't reveal any more than that given I will be getting into spoilers and I would like to avoid that. You need to read this book yourself.

As for the controversy surrounding the book, I can only say that this is a challenging, intense book. It seems like this isn't the done thing anymore but I suppose I am old enough to remember when books like this were supposed to be edgy and difficult to take in places. Maybe younger people today want tame fiction that doesn't make you think. I would recommend this book if you want to think.

[Tabitha Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we watch Roe v Wade go down in smoke in the United States, we must be extra vigilant about the rights of women's bodies across the world. We are all under threat from the patriarchy imposing its will upon us, taking away our right to choose what to do with our own bodies.

This book examines the extremes of what happens when our right to our own bodily autonomy is stripped away, like what we're seeing in America now. Some of it is difficult to read, I understand that, but what we're facing now is too important for us to turn away when it is gruesome. This book shows how important our bodies are to us. Let us fight to the last to preserve our rights. Free choice!

[Elizabeth Dorrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most important book about a woman's right to bodily autonomy I've ever read. In light of what's happening in America with abortion laws, all the more relevant. Read it, spread this book far and wide, people need to be educated about a woman's right to decide what happens with her own body.

[Mary Grove · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels I've read in a long time. The politics of a lot of people on here will be tilted against things like this book but it is well worth your time.

[Valerie Novak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been re-reading Andrea Dworkin lately and so perhaps I'm seeing a lot through the lens of her writing (she has been very influential on my thought processes and the way I see the world). But I think Nick Tyrone's "The Patient" is possibly the most important book about women written by a man that I've ever encountered. It is dealing with the essence of what misogyny is really about: when push comes to shove, what men value women for is our bodies and specifically, our ability to procreate. What Nick Tyrone does here is push the idea of pregnancy to the nth degree to illustrate how deeply materially the vast majority of men view women. That when you strip away the niceties, we are baby-making machines for men to grab hold of the next generation.

Warning: the novel is slow in parts, particularly at the beginning. It rewards you as it goes on.

[Isabelle Cortez-Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating novel, unlike anything I have ever read before. I couldn't guess what was going to happen, even up until the final chapter. Mr and Mrs Sincope are the perfect bad couple. People who shouldn't have ever been together but then they go into having a child together and are stuck with each other. Until something like Dr Blots intervenes!

[Serena ♡]

dnf at 25%

it’s a depressing book with “dark humor”. I guess “dark humor” is mean, grumpy, sexist and horrible characters being mean, grumpy, sexist and horrible to each other.

Not my thing. I like a weird psychological/psychedelic book, but this didn’t do it for me

(thanks, NetGalley)

[Laura Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most wonderful book I've read this year. Ignore the haters, they have an agenda.

[Janet Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that sets out the issues to do with women's bodily autonomy with a cautionary tale. It is very strange in places and the ending is a tough read but I felt the latter at least was necessary to get the point across. We need more books like this both in terms of talking about the issues the book deal with but also novels that are willing to be daring and a little different.

[Rebecca Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kafkaesque tale of a dysfunctional couple having their first child, where things go horribly wrong at the hospital. Something rare, this one. When so many novelists play it so safe, it is nice to read something where the author goes balls out and sod the consequences.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. Just no. Don't buy this book. A waste of my time reading it.

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow this is one of the worst books I have read. Not a single likeable character and the ending clears nothing up. The only good thing I can say is at least it wasn’t long.

[Terry Saint (TERF) · Rating 5 out of 5]

About women's bodily autonomy and how biology is important, which is why all the TRAs on here hate it so much.

[Stephanie Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird. Very weird. Perhaps the strangest book I've ever read. But brilliant too. If you like David Lynch movies, I think you might love this.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this was one of more compelling reads, both crazy and strangely not so crazy at all, in a while.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

In ‘The Patient’ we follow Mr. and Mrs. Sincope as they arrive at a hospital for a routine induction of labor, expecting the birth of their first child. However, things quickly take a strange turn as the hospital staff claim she isn’t ready to deliver and continue postponing any action. Days turn into weeks, and then months, with no signs of progress, yet the hospital refuses to let them leave. As time drags on and the hospital’s explanations grow increasingly bizarre, Mrs. Sincope becomes isolated and powerless, unable to escape a system that insists she is still pregnant—despite all logic.

I don’t know how to feel about this read. On one hand, i enjoyed the unsettling ambiguity of the book; on the other hand, I found there was quite a few things that I think weren’t shared and made it challenging to meet those conclusions without googling - which i think is the point? The book builds into a surreal and claustrophobic nightmare with no clear resolution and i enjoyed the journey but didn’t love the destination. Overall it was an interesting read about body autonomy and medical control but didn’t hit the mark for my preferred reading.

[Sarah Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earthy, weird, off-putting at times but brilliant, this book is a fabulous explanation of what happens when women's bodily autonomy is put at risk from various players, from the right who want to outlaw abortion, to the left who want to erase the whole idea of womanhood. A novel for our times.

[Jessica Tilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing I've read from a modern novelist that really reminds me of Kafka in a good way. Very inventive. Not like anything else out there now. I feel sad that a novel like this will fall by the wayside because people don't know how to read things like this anymore. Hell, even Kafka himself is misunderstood now.

[Sylvia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read 30% of this book and then gave up. It was repetitive and very boring. I kept waiting for some sort of sci-fi happening but it just didn't appear. I mean how often would Mr Syncope get lost within the hospital. If he was my husband supporting me through labour then we wouldn't stay married for long!