The General Hospital by Anne Buist & Graeme Simsion

Buist and Simsion are back with the third novel in their winning Menzies Mental Health series. This latest book can stand alone, but it is part of such an enjoyable series that it is recommended to start with the first book The glass house (2024) followed by The oasis (2025). Hannah is a trainee psychiatrist, now starting an internship in a general hospital on call to patients in medical, surgical, obstetric and cancer wards.

The chapters generally start with a short patient scenario, and then further in the chapter the reader follows Hannah’s exploration of the case, at the same time as she deals with family and personal relationship stresses. Hannah is an outstanding example of the best kind of psychiatric care, where she asks a probing question and then waits for the response. She stays calm, and thinks of the best way to relate to each patient. The cases range from road accident trauma, possible domestic abuse, coming to terms with terminal cancer, end of life wishes, and chronic anorexia nervosa. The reader gains insight into the lives of very troubled people, whilst also understanding that the doctor herself has traumatic issues to come to terms with.

The authors write with professional insight into the human side of how psychiatric medicine works, but there is a vein of subtle humour that underwrites every story, from the characterisation of the ego-driven professor to the ‘smart kid on the block’ boyfriend, and then there is the quick wit of Hannah’s thoughts and responses. All makes for a more light-handed and enjoyable way of exploring often serious subjects. The series has found an original and rewarding way of educating readers about psychiatric medicine.

Themes: Psychiatry, Mental health, Counselling, Trauma, Suicide, Parent child relationship, Anorexia nervosa.

Helen Eddy