'Dear Life' by Rachel Clarke

 This is an uncomplicated, autobiographcial book that charts the story of the author, from child to journalist, then following in her much-loved father's footsteps as a doctor working in the NHS. With a moving irony, her professional move, into specialist palliative care, is mirrored in the deterioration of her father's health, until he ultimately requires the kind of end-of-life care that Rachel provides with so much love and humanity, to her patients.

This however, is a book where the strength is not so much the story, but in the power of the telling. Death is an enduring taboo, that can leave those with terminal illnesses and their loved ones, isolated and fearful. Rachel exposes those taboos with a compassion and honesty that combine to make this not just a good book, but a book that everyone should read.

As someone who the quirks of fate has brought to both sitting by a hospice bedside, as well as working and studying within palliative care, there is so much I can identify with. Her description of palliative care as being dominated 'not by the proximity of death, but the best bits of living' resonates with anyone who has first hand experience of these wonderful places. It is a shame she feels the need to dodge the assisted dying debate, but it is otherwise complete. The book explores the reality of life, death and a medical system that sees death as failure rather than a natural life stage that we must all face. It is well-written, compelling and, like good palliative care itself, ultimately uplifting and life enhancing.

Verdict: read