theverticalbookshelf's review
5.0
This is an incredible memoir of a paramedic during summer of 2008.. I have always held the utmost respect for paramedics as they are first on scene and a lot of time see patients pass away. This memoir is no exception. I cried, laughed and reflected throughout this book. I have never been to The Gap but know about it. It wouldn’t be a happy place for the paramedics and cops who attend the scenes and would become all too familiar each week. This is true reflection on the type of work that these paramedics do for the community and you just never know what people are thinking and feeling. Always need to ask, RUOkay?
emufranklin's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I knew John and whilst this book showed him at his worst it was a fitting tribute and a must read for any aspiring paramedic
thelifeoflaura's review
5.0
In this riveting memoir, Gilmour recounts the call-outs that summer: some dangerous, some gruesome, some downright ridiculous. And we meet fellow paramedic John who, they say, can get a laugh out of everyone except the dead. As the city heats up that summer, however, even John begins to lose his sense of humour. People are unravelling - and Benjamin and John are no exception.
An absolutely amazing book. Eye opening, heart breaking and very funny. Benjamin Gilmour has such a knack for writing that at times you will question whether you are reading a non-fiction book. The book follows Gilmour through a summer of call outs. While I knew being a paramedic was hard, this book really opened my eyes to some of the real challenges that paramedics face each and every day. It gives you insight into the other side - the demons that paramedics battle, even when the show up to help you smiling and laughing and seeming like they have it all together. It has given me new respect for those that care for everyone - no matter how serious the illness. It is threaded together with humor (at times dark) and insights into the life outside of the profession. While I wouldn't recommend this to the faint hearted, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who thinks they are up to the read, or who wants more insight into the profession of a paramedic. It was truly amazing.
An absolutely amazing book. Eye opening, heart breaking and very funny. Benjamin Gilmour has such a knack for writing that at times you will question whether you are reading a non-fiction book. The book follows Gilmour through a summer of call outs. While I knew being a paramedic was hard, this book really opened my eyes to some of the real challenges that paramedics face each and every day. It gives you insight into the other side - the demons that paramedics battle, even when the show up to help you smiling and laughing and seeming like they have it all together. It has given me new respect for those that care for everyone - no matter how serious the illness. It is threaded together with humor (at times dark) and insights into the life outside of the profession. While I wouldn't recommend this to the faint hearted, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who thinks they are up to the read, or who wants more insight into the profession of a paramedic. It was truly amazing.
darladark's review
5.0
I'd rate this 6 stars if I could. Ben's writing is amazing. So clear and concise but also detailed. I've always felt grateful for emergency services people, and this just cements it.
keepingupwiththepenguins's review
4.0
The front cover of The Gap by Benjamin Gilmour promises the story of “a paramedic’s summer on the edge”, and it delivers! See, The Gap is the name of a notorious suicide spot, a clifftop at Sydney’s Watson’s Bay, and for the summer of 2008, Gilmour worked as a paramedic based out of the nearest ambulance station. This is his memoir, and Penguin Random House Australia was kind enough to send me a copy for review.
Again and again, he circles back around to The Gap, where 50+ people die by suicide each year. The paramedic’s job is usually to talk them down, sometimes to help with retrieving a body, or informing loved ones. Gilmour wrote this book, from his detailed notes and diaries, at the urging of fellow paramedics, who want to open a conversation about suicide and mental health in this country.
An extended review of this book is available exclusively to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.
Again and again, he circles back around to The Gap, where 50+ people die by suicide each year. The paramedic’s job is usually to talk them down, sometimes to help with retrieving a body, or informing loved ones. Gilmour wrote this book, from his detailed notes and diaries, at the urging of fellow paramedics, who want to open a conversation about suicide and mental health in this country.
An extended review of this book is available exclusively to subscribers at Keeping Up With The Penguins.
nicolebowden's review
5.0
Incredibly raw, accurate depiction of the harrowing scenes paramedics attend and life after clock off. Beautifully written with hints of humour in all the right places. The Gap really gives an inside look into life as an ambo while helping to open up the conversation and combatting the age old stigma around mental health specifically in emergency services.
turningpagesmm's review
5.0
‘The Gap’ by @peacelion (this will probably contain spoilers) -
•
I cried and when I say cried, what I really mean is that I bawled. I don’t normally write spoilers in these reviews but I’m going to this time. This book was so heartfelt and so sad at the same tike. The respect I have for emergency services is astronomical, I’ve had to call 000 on a few occasions unfortunately and the care you receive not just from the operated but the paramedics is amazing. You can tell that the life of a paramedic would be so draining and take it out of you. Even on one of their darkest days they were still out there. This book was written so well and you could feel the care and love Benjamin had for his job. I definitely agree that there are so many ways to save someone’s life and every single paramedic does this every single down. •
•
Now to the part that made me cry, I have never felt so drawn to a person in a book than I did to John, his humour and his outlook on life at the start. When life hit him, it hit him hard. Rest In Peace, John.
•
I cried and when I say cried, what I really mean is that I bawled. I don’t normally write spoilers in these reviews but I’m going to this time. This book was so heartfelt and so sad at the same tike. The respect I have for emergency services is astronomical, I’ve had to call 000 on a few occasions unfortunately and the care you receive not just from the operated but the paramedics is amazing. You can tell that the life of a paramedic would be so draining and take it out of you. Even on one of their darkest days they were still out there. This book was written so well and you could feel the care and love Benjamin had for his job. I definitely agree that there are so many ways to save someone’s life and every single paramedic does this every single down. •
•
Now to the part that made me cry, I have never felt so drawn to a person in a book than I did to John, his humour and his outlook on life at the start. When life hit him, it hit him hard. Rest In Peace, John.