I happened to hear the author while listening to an episode of Start The Week on Radio Four towards the end of 2025. The content and the character of the author immediately appealed to me and I pre-ordered the book.
The author is Professor of Neuroscience and Cognitive Neurology at the University of Oxford. The book is structured by recounting a series of case studies.
There were two elements that drew me to explore this. The chance to read a contemporary account of clinical pathways was one. The other was the humility and commitment of the author.
The narrative style is very engaging and he is adept at setting the scene in a way that draws the reader in without intruding too much on the important content.
The outcome of the cases described is sometimes one of dramatic recovery and at other times it is a recognition that there is no available treatment. Even in such cases it appears that the author has been able to help the patient come to terms with and accept their situation.
The patients concerned and perhaps more importantly their supporters sometimes present as aggressive or sceptical of the clinical approach on offer. These cases made me smile inwardly and reminded me of such encounters during my time as an NHS clinician. Such encounters are not easy to deal with but the author seems to have a high level of tolerance of unhelpful behaviour and presents a model response.
During the course of each case study there is some interesting explanation of the anatomy and physiology involved. This is very measured and I felt that he gave just enough scientific information without overloading the reader.
The book was a joy to read and was a heartwarming series of cases in which the author is compassionate and tenacious in his quest to help each one of his patients.
