Dirty Work

An informed and arresting debut novel about a young surgeon in crisis, by a writer whose "exactitude of expression is rare and uncanny." (Rachel Cusk)

Nancy Mullion, an obstetrician-gynecologist whose botched surgery has put a patient in a life-threatening coma, must face a medical tribunal to determine if she can continue to practice medicine. Nancy's fears about both her patient's chances for survival and whether she will be "undoctored" are made palpable to the reader. Throughout four weeks of intense questioning and accusations, this physician directly confronts for the first time her work as an abortion provider--how it helps the lives of others but takes a heavy toll on her own.

Interweaving memories of Nancy's English and American childhood and adolescence, Dirty Work creates an emotionally charged portrait of one woman's life; the telling of seemingly untellable stories sets her free, as it can all women. Gabriel Weston has given us a truly original, courageous, and meaningful novel.

Author: Gabriel Weston
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 08/01/2014
Pages: 192
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.70w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780316235624

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/07/2014 pg. 38
Library Journal 06/15/2014 pg. 89
Booklist 06/01/2014 pg. 34
Romantic Times 08/01/2014 pg. 34 - Excellent
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2014
Shelf Awareness 08/15/2014

About the Author
Gabriel Weston is an ear, nose, and throat surgical specialist. Her memoir, Direct Red: A Surgeon's View of Her Life-or-Death Profession, was named a Best Book of the Year in 2009 by The Economist andThe Telegraph, long-listed for the Guardian First Book Award, and received the PEN/Ackerley Prize for Autobiography. She lives in London with her physician husband and their children.