Ben Watt, one half of the "Billboard"-topping British pop duo Everything But the Girl, tells his compelling story of confronting a killer disease. More than a diary of his hospital days, "Patient" is a provocative and affecting memoir about life, illness and survival.
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Ben Watt, one half of the "Billboard"-topping British pop duo Everything But the Girl, tells his compelling story of confronting a killer disease. More than a diary of his hospital days, "Patient" is a provocative and affecting memoir about life, illness and survival.
Read Less
Add this copy of Patient: the True Story of a Rare Illness to cart. $19.99, new condition, Sold by West Coast Bookseller rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Moorpark, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Grove Pr.
Add this copy of Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness to cart. $22.00, very good condition, Sold by K. S. Ryan rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Baltimore, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Grove/Atlantic.
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Seller's Description:
Very good in very good dust jacket. SIGNED by Watt name only. No marks or tears but light edge/general wear. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. 208 p. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of Patient: the True Story of a Rare Illness to cart. $32.02, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Grove Pr.
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Used book in very good and clean conditions. Minor cosmetic defects may be present. Pages and cover intact. May include library marks notes marks and highlighting. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness to cart. $35.00, like new condition, Sold by modlitbooks rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Francisco, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Grove/Atlantic.
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Fine in fine dust jacket. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. Audience: General/trade. First edition, first printing. A fine clean tight unmarked copy in cloth in fine unclipped dust jacket with minor shelfwear. Uncommon in the first edition.
Add this copy of Patient: the True Story of a Rare Illness to cart. $78.42, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Grove Pr.
A sad, hilarious and poetic account of a life chan
I have to initially declare a vested interest in this book, having like Watt been diagnosed with Churg-Straus Syndrome in 2006, suffering cerebral vasculitis and two minor strokes at the age of 39. However be assured this poignant book is not exclusively for CSS sufferers,its reminiscences of hospitilisation and the arduous road to recovery subsequent to illness or accident will be sadly familiar to many readers as it is an inevitable rite of passage we must all endure at some stage in our lives.
Watt brilliantly depicts the withdrawal into oneself, the retreat into a child like, helpless state that illness brings.The sense of your life on hold as you gain snippets of normality through windows or wheel chair bound excursions through hospital corridors, cafes and grounds.He also expertly captures the associated frustration and the initial deluded belief that there will be a return to the pre-illness normality.
Particularly redolent of my own time in hospital is the sense of feeling special and the guilty enjoyment of attention that illness can bring and its attendant influence over relatives and carers.Watt brilliantly captures the awkwardness of parents lurched back into the role of carers and the differing abilities of family members to deal with your illness.But it is the love of and constancy of his partner, Tracy which is the scaffold to his recovery, something I too can closely relate to.
The invasiveness of medical procedures and the indignity they bring is poignantly described.I too can particularly relate to the personal awkwardness of myself and medical staff when administering chemotherapy,the outrageous banality of it and the lack of privacy when coping with nausea.
Interspersed amongst the visceral detail, Watt lightens the tone by hilariously depicting the absurdity of hospital life recalling: bizarre conversations, incidents, patients and doctors and nurses - familiar to any one who has had an extended stay in hospital.Although I was never a fan of his music,it must be said Watt writes with a lyrical and poetic style, particularly in the description of his drug induced dreams and reveries.His use of geographical or geological metaphors also suggests the university study of geography or geology.
