Book Blurb:
Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her.
Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients. Jonah, a gay man, is the first to be fired when he refuses to abandon his patients. Stunned by the predicament of her closest friend, Georgia’s natural instinct is to fight alongside him. But when her attempts to address the situation result in incalculable harm, both Georgia and Jonah find themselves facing the loss of much more than their careers.
My Review: 3.5 stars – Guest Review
The Antidote for Everything is a timely, sensitive, and thought-provoking story of love, friendship. and the choices people have to make in difficult situations. The author tackles a difficult and controversial subject with excellent writing combined with emotional storytelling. The book runs the gamut from light-hearted to dark, and everything in between. The author expertly balances serious subject matter with some heartwarming light romance, as two doctors have to choose between treating their patients and keeping their jobs.
The three major characters in this story are relatable, authentic, and extremely likable. They are also flawed and complicated, which made them even more realistic. The protagonist, Georgia, is a great character. She is tenacious, smart, loyal, strong, and bold and someone you would love to have as a friend. I admired her spirit and integrity. Georgia’s career as a urological surgeon offered some comedic relief throughout the story. Her friendship with Jonah was deep, strong, and inspirational. Anyone would be lucky to have a friendship like theirs. The way they stood by each other during the twists and turns of their medical traumas was inspirational. Mark, Georgia’s love interest, was multidimensional, and Georgia’s analytical approach to romance was depicted in a realistic way, that many readers may identify with. As the story unfolds, the author reveals different layers to the characters’ complex personalities. I loved Mark, Georgia’s romantic interest. The story was predominantly set in Charleston, South Carolina, in addition to Europe. The author brought both settings to life for the reader.
Although I was immediately drawn into the story, the middle portion dragged at times. The book was part romance, medical drama, and commentary on society, but the focus jumped around quite a bit. The characters were all likeable, but I felt removed at times from what they were going through, and wanted to feel more emotionally invested. One of the subplots in the story seemed overly complicated and a bit far -fetched.
The author, who is a physician, definitely brought her medical expertise to the page. She tackled a serious, important, and controversial subject in a way that never seemed preachy. I had assumed that the events depicted in this book were totally fictionalized, but was surprised to find out that so much discrimination in healthcare still exists. In the “afterword”, the author points out how in much of the country, people are still being denied healthcare based on sexual orientation or perceived immorality. Administrators of certain institutions can dictate medical decisions to doctors based on their own personal beliefs regarding morality. The type of medical inequity depicted in this book brings up many ethical questions that might lend itself to great book club discussions. Love the cover art is stunning. Review by Guest Fairy Ronna.
Quotes I liked:
Georgia believed that getting bored represented a character flaw. One should always be able to entertain oneself; that was what creativity and imagination were for.”
“We live in an age of normalized lying.”
“……I’ve come to the conclusion facts don’t matter. So what does matter?……..”Spin. Perception. Making it look like the other guy is unfairly attacking us.”
“The only thing that matters—the only antidote for discrimination and corruption and every other evil that plagues our society –is integrity. Behaving with honor. Shining a light on the truth. Not gaming the system to suit your aims.”
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