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This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Book by Adam Kay

There’s nothing like a bit of dark comedy to distract you from a sluggish journey - especially when it’s based on real life. That’s why we’re loving this collection of diary entries from Adam Kay’s six years as a junior doctor in the NHS. They’re at times shocking, sometimes sad and often laugh-out-loud funny.

Kay went public with his stories as a reaction to the 2015 dispute between health secretary Jeremy Hunt and junior doctors over pay and conditions, first creating a one-man show at the Edinburgh festival before turning them into a book.

The author relives his medical training from 2004 to 2010, specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, when a normal day (or night) in the office could entail anything from a guy with a ‘degloved’ penis after sliding down a lamppost to a woman with an engagement ring trapped somewhere it just doesn’t bear thinking about. The book is also peppered with anecdotes from Kay’s personal life, giving us a fascinating insight into the life of a doctor.

If you’re alright with the idea of publicly snorting or grimacing in horror (sometimes both at once) on a packed tube, then this book’s short anecdotal tales are the perfect antidote to a painful commute.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor (Picador, £4.26 on Amazon)