In January 1994, Abraham Verghese, an indian doctor in a Texan teaching hospital, was called to the morgue to identify the body of his close friend, student and tennis partner David Smith. David had killed himself because he could not deal with his addiction to intravenously injected cocaine. This book is Verghese's tribute to his dead friend; it is also an attempt to understand and explain drug addiction. Being both doctor and friend, Verghese offers us a unique insight into addiction, describing with clinical detachment ...
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In January 1994, Abraham Verghese, an indian doctor in a Texan teaching hospital, was called to the morgue to identify the body of his close friend, student and tennis partner David Smith. David had killed himself because he could not deal with his addiction to intravenously injected cocaine. This book is Verghese's tribute to his dead friend; it is also an attempt to understand and explain drug addiction. Being both doctor and friend, Verghese offers us a unique insight into addiction, describing with clinical detachment the horrific physical symptoms of abuse, revealing how the stress of the medical profession leads to the paradox of doctors as users and movingly evoking the pain of seeing a friend suffer. Written with great clarity and tenderness, this is an extraordinary and important book about male friendship and a moving portrait of a brilliant young man who fought valiantly against a profound sense of inadequacy.
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Add this copy of The Tennis Partner to cart. $12.86, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2011 by Harper Perennial.
Add this copy of The Tennis Partner to cart. $13.27, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2016 by William Morrow & Company.
Interesting read.
A physician tells a story of mentoring a junior colleague through their shared interest in tennis.
The physician, with marriage problems, and his colleague with drug abuse problems.
Some interesting clinical histories are used as subplots.
tsunami
Dec 5, 2009
another winner
I wanted to read more of this author because I loved his book Cutting For Stone. I am not interested in tennis, but this book was fascinating even though there is a lot about tennis in it. Verghese is a very good writer and can make any tale interesting and compelling. I recommend it to anyone who likes good writing. It will be a plus to have an interest in tennis, medicine, and marvelous characters.
