Summary
Despite the heavy themes, the book never reads like homework. In part, that's because [Liam Durcan] avoids the common failing of novelists who want to impress readers with their research. Scientific knowledge enriches [Hernan Garcia]'s Heart, but doesn't overwhelm it.
When he describes a meeting between [Patrick Lazarenko] and a minor character, the clever MBA grad who lured Patrick into the private sector, Durcan compresses the better part of a Tom Wolfe novel into a few pages: "Marc-André gave Patrick what he now knew was a standard business-school presentation: a neo-Marxist analysis delivered over lunch in an expensive Thai restaurant."It's a remarkable accomplishment, and if Durcan inspires a few would-be writers to consider medical school rather than a master's in creative writing, our literature may well be healthier (though it won't do much for health-care wait times).See the full content of this document
Extract
Free Will, Family Drama: What a Prescription
Garcia's Heart
By Liam DurcanMcClelland & Stewart, 378 pages, $33Reviewed by Bob ArmstrongRESEARCH on the brain is providing increasingly tidy explanations for human...See the full content of this document
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