"Dr. Edwin Spindrift's life as an ordinary linguistics professor grinds to a halt when his repeated blackouts raise suspicion that he may have a brain tumor. He is sent home from Burma to London to be treated at a mental institution chock full of head injured and mentally ill patients. His treating physician, Dr. Railton, calmly assures Edwin that surgery is the necessary protocol for his condition, and Edwin's wife agrees. The decidedly unsympathetic Mrs. Spindrift visits Edwin accompanied by other men, and sometimes even sends these men in her stead to visit her ailing husband. Fearful that the surgery is not necessary and that he is losing his wife, Edwin escapes the hospital and finds himself with his head shaved, shirtless and penniless on the streets of London.
Out on the streets, the highly educated Edwin finds himself struggling to accomplish the simplest of tasks, and employs the help of a bawdy cast of characters along the way. Edwin embarks on a hunt for his wife, who seems to move on to the next hotel/man/opportunity just before he manages to catch up with her. What he lacks in street savvy, Edwin makes up for with his ability to see things from many points of view and to make the best of the opportunities presented to him."
Julie M, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Doctor is Sick
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- humorous
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- eccentric nature
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Battle with a psychiatrist
Yes
Brain/Body disability?
- mental illness
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- physically sick
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Profession/status:
- doctor
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 8 (a significant amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
