Play Book Tag discussion

To get a sense of how much of this novel is devoted to medical matters, I just opened this book at five random pages. One of the five described the symptoms of a particularly unpleasant medical condition, and another two contained detailed explanations of surgical procedures. The title refers to a phrase in the Hippocratic Oath, “I will not cut for stone,” and as well as being bookended by dramatic scenes involving life or death decisions about surgery, the book’s plot includes a range of scenarios inviting us to consider the question of who cuts, and why. (Warning to sensitive readers: as well as the detailed surgical notes, the book contains two FGM-related episodes that I found disturbing, (view spoiler)[particularly the sex scene between Marion and Genet (hide spoiler)].)

As well as the extensive medical content, this is also a family saga based around the lives of a pair of twin boys growing up in a hospital, and a historical novel set in Ethiopia in which the characters are affected by events such as an attempted coup against Haile Salassie, and the hijacking of a plane by the Eritrean independence movement. I think that the book was intended to be bittersweet, and I did find it engaging and thought-provoking, but the inclusion of a couple of moments that I found seriously unsettling meant that overall I didn’t love this as much as some reviewers have.

This was the first book I read after coming out of a newborn baby haze with my second son. I remember it to be engaging and affecting.

This is one of my favorite books ever. I have quite a few medical people in my immediate family and I grew up on a farm, squeamishness is pretty much not part of the life, but I get it.

Also I have a friend who went through some of the things described in Ethiopia so I felt that connection.

But I can easily understand why this book wouldn't hold the appeal for everyone.

This is a useful review Nikki. I liked the book, but I can see that it could make some people queasy. This book had a strong impact on me at the time I read it. Right off the bat it gave me a view of Ethiopia that seemed a lot nicer than what I saw decades ago in TV ads from unicef or other aid organizations.

Warning - Not for squeamish people....

There was one medical detail that I found really interesting. The doctor created a mesh design to help women with a certain gynecological condition. It seemed very clever. The descriptions of the condition were so vivid, I haven't forgotten them in all this time. Since then I've heard ads on tv from lawyers wanting to sue manufacturers of similar mesh devices. (So I hope there's another alternative for those women. I couldn't live like that.)

I loved this book, and recommended to a lot of my friends.

I just loved this book and got completely engaged in it!

I went straight from this to Being Mortal and I think the medical content of this book primed me to appreciate that one - I loved it! (I actually really enjoyed the medical aspects of Cutting for Stone too, which I realised wasn't clear from my review, it was specifically the FGM scenes that I found upsetting.)