What does it mean to live in a body? For Gabriel Weston, there was always something missing from the anatomy she was taught at medical school. She'd forged an unconventional path, first studying humanities and getting an entry-level job in publishing, before a spark of inspiration set her on the path to becoming a doctor. Medicine teaches us how a body functions, but it doesn't help us navigate the reality of living in one. As Weston became a surgeon, a mother, and ultimately a patient herself, she found herself grappling with the gap between scientific knowledge and unfathomable complexity of human experience.
Cinematic ... She interleaves the story of her and her children’s health with some lyrical lessons in anatomy from her time as a doctor and presenter of health documentaries on the BBC ... I remain a Weston fan ... Yet I’m disappointed to report that this book is no Direct Red. In Alive Weston is drained of her early transgressive nature. I struggled to see how its many parts hung together.
Unusual and gripping ... A book that draws on science, history, philosophy and art, is as much about what our bodies mean to us, how they feel to us, as what they do ... This bold, humane yet unsettling book makes a strong case for giving doctors more time to get to know their patients properly, and it will make you see your own body a bit differently, perhaps change how you feel in your skin.
Change relies on people pushing against the heavy door of tradition – which Alive brilliantly persuades us all to do more forcefully – finding new ways to imagine and inhabit the space beneath our skin.
