The Antidote for Everything, by Kimmery Martin
Penguin Random House Canada - Available February 18, 2020
Literary Fiction
Print
352 Pages
Literary Fiction
352 Pages
* I received this ARC courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.
A rich, complex, and timely story, The Antidote for Everything is not only a good story, but a good conversation starter.
Dr. Georgia Brown is a urologist working at a hospital in Charleston South Carolina. She has no relatives to speak of, and her love life has gone from bad to non-existent in the most spectacularly embarrassing way. Her best friend, Dr. Jonah Tsukada is a family medicine practitioner in the same hospital complex. He has been estranged from his family since he came out to them and he and Georgia have become family to each other.
An important part of Jonah's practice is the care and treatment of transgender individuals. When the hospital bans the treatment of transgender patients, terminates their care without discussion, and threatens to fire any doctor providing care to them, Jonah's refusal to quit on his patients puts him in the line of fire so to speak. With no law protecting the rights of these patients or Jonah, Georgina and Jonah come up with a plan to force the hospital to reverse their decision, but when the plan goes awry, they stand to lose far more than just their jobs.
Let's start by saying that the first line of this story is probably worth buying the book for! Seriously, I almost sprayed the pages of my book with tea as the unexpected laugh caught me off guard!
Martin tells this story of persecution and discrimination with sensitivity, enough suspense to keep the story moving, and just a touch of humor - "a spoonful of sugar...", so to speak, because in spite of Martin's humor, this book touches on some serious and timely issues. While transgender discrimination is the main issue at the heart of this story, she also touches on other issues such sexual discrimination & harassment and drug & alcohol abuse/addiction.
I found Georgia an especially likable character. I think the word that comes to my mind when thinking about her is "feisty". Not one to just "go with the flow", she is determined, fiercely loyal, and not willing to stand by as people she cares about are bullied and mistreated. She is willing to fight clean or fight dirty to see justice prevail. Her relationship with Jonah is the definition of friendship.
The Antidote For Everything is a timely piece of fiction infused with wit and warmth.
An important part of Jonah's practice is the care and treatment of transgender individuals. When the hospital bans the treatment of transgender patients, terminates their care without discussion, and threatens to fire any doctor providing care to them, Jonah's refusal to quit on his patients puts him in the line of fire so to speak. With no law protecting the rights of these patients or Jonah, Georgina and Jonah come up with a plan to force the hospital to reverse their decision, but when the plan goes awry, they stand to lose far more than just their jobs.
Let's start by saying that the first line of this story is probably worth buying the book for! Seriously, I almost sprayed the pages of my book with tea as the unexpected laugh caught me off guard!
Martin tells this story of persecution and discrimination with sensitivity, enough suspense to keep the story moving, and just a touch of humor - "a spoonful of sugar...", so to speak, because in spite of Martin's humor, this book touches on some serious and timely issues. While transgender discrimination is the main issue at the heart of this story, she also touches on other issues such sexual discrimination & harassment and drug & alcohol abuse/addiction.
I found Georgia an especially likable character. I think the word that comes to my mind when thinking about her is "feisty". Not one to just "go with the flow", she is determined, fiercely loyal, and not willing to stand by as people she cares about are bullied and mistreated. She is willing to fight clean or fight dirty to see justice prevail. Her relationship with Jonah is the definition of friendship.
The Antidote For Everything is a timely piece of fiction infused with wit and warmth.
Happy Reading,
Christine
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