Paula Xiberras
Meredith Appleyard tells me that the title of her latest novel is ambiguous, ‘The Doctor Calling’ refers both to a doctor making house calls and also the ‘calling’ to be a doctor.
A doctor with both of these callings is Dr Laura O’Connor who leaves her home town after losing her husband in an accident, to work in the quieter atmosphere of country town, Potters Junction. Yet, even there she finds herself caught up in a family crisis of the seriously ill patient she is caring for and the return, after many years, of his son, Jack Finlay after many years.
The novel explores Meredith’s interest in how characters relationships survive emotional struggles such as the one depicted in this story, a family coping with serious illness and how a small community bands together to alleviate some of the stress of such a situation.
Town libraries become the venue where Meredith can talk about her passionate advocacy for country health and relate the stories of country people and their struggles.
Meredith as always includes incidental medical language and knowledge in her books enabling readers to learn medical information while they are entertained by a good story.
‘The Doctor Calling’ is out now published by Penguin Random House.
