Published By: Manilla
Pages: 352
Released On: 30/01/2025
Penang, 1971. When Suyin is offered the opportunity of a lifetime – a place as a trainee nurse in London’s Bethnal Green Hospital – she jumps at the chance to leave her job as a seamstress and unite with her sister, who left for the same path a year before.
However, without warning her sister returns to Penang, a shadow of her former self and Suyin is forced to leave without any answers. Suyin soon finds herself starting a new life in London, falling in love with the vibrant city and its people and as she immerses herself in the gruelling but rewarding work of caring for her patients, she begins to understand what she really wants out of life . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Manilla for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I had recently read quite a few hard-hitting intense books and I did wonder if my next read should have been something a bit more light-hearted, maybe a nice festive romcom. But I went with this one, slightly worried it would be quite depressing. But it’s anything but. Yes, there are difficult topics – being away from home, women on their own, death, illness, racism – but it’s wrapped up so well in this love letter to the NHS that the overwhelming effect is joy and hope.
It is very prose heavy, more narrative than dialogue – which is how I write – which was delightful. I really drew me in and I could walk alongside the characters.
Normally I note down my opinions on a book as I read it, and then put together the review at the end. But this was so addictive and I was so absorbed in it that I hardly wrote a thing.
It is a beautiful story and she’s given equal weight to the characters and the plot. The main character of Suyin is gorgeous. She’s so relatable (even if I am not from the same place or have the same job or are anything like her at all) and familiar, like a friend or sister. I was really willing her own to do well. There wasn’t a dud character amongst them. Too many to go into detail here, but believe me when I say you’ll fall in love with the lot of them.
It’s historical yes, there’s romance, family tensions, as well as adventure – and by adventure I mean similar to if Bilbo Baggins decided to eat a second fish for second breakfast kind of adventure, rather than the Bilbo Baggins fighting Smaug the dragon kind of adventure – I’m hoping some of my Tolkien fans are here too, otherwise I just sounded completely nuts.
Some bits are given more time than others. Overall the pacing works, but I do wish there had been slightly more detail on things – for example, she frequently talks about her sister’s A-Z guide to London, but it’s never fully explored. So things like that would just take it up a notch, but it didn’t harm the enjoyment of the book.
It is true what the reviews are saying, it is a complete love letter to the NHS and to the nurses that keep it running, and it’s not corny or oversentimental to say that. It’s the book that I can imagine people will be buying for their nearest and dearest. I certainly will be.
It was really beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed it and I read it in one day. It’s so addictive. And yet I still think she’s got room to grow, and I mean that in the most positive way. This is just her debut and it’s amazing. Amélie is fabulous and I think she could be even more so, and I really cannot wait to see how she follows this up.
Books By Your Bedside 