A review by radh
The House of God by Samuel Shem

emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

This was highly recommended as a book to better understand medical intern-year/residency and while the sexual content was definitely very crude and off-putting, if you ignore those parts, the rest was helpful in understanding the mindsets and impacts of the stress and situations on the primary character and his co-interns. A fictionalized autobiography, it was a bit hard to get through because of the blatant objectification of women, but otherwise quite insightful and helpful for understanding the medical world. 

opening line quote: "Life's like a penis; When it's soft you can't beat it; When it's hard you get screwed"
Expand filter menu Content Warnings