Anatomy ~ Dana Schwartz

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Let me start this review off by being super transparent: Anatomy is so much more than a love story, and I feel that to call it this is reductionist and completely downplays what it really is. And this is probably the reason it took me so long to pick this book up. For a long time I had assumed this was a run of the mill YA romance novel, which isn't what I tend to go for in books. In reality, Anatomy is a historical fiction about a young woman who, against all odds, wants to become a doctor in Victorian Edinburgh. There are elements of intrigue and adventure, as well as romance. I am so glad I did pick it up, my only regret is that I waited so long.

I am someone who enjoys reading about what I know. When I see books about women in STEM or medicine, or books set in Edinburgh, I dive straight in, no questions asked. Having finished reading The Wages of Sin by Kaite Welsh, I wanted something with a similar sort of premise. Low and behold, I heard of Anatomy. I had seen the book before and been drawn in by the beautiful cover but had never really stopped to find out what it was about. Much to my delight, it sounded like exactly what I was looking for: a novel about a fiesty woman studying medicine in Victorian Edinburgh, with a mystery subplot. Perfect!

I probably chose a bad time to start reading it as I ended up stopping to read Christmas books part the way through. This probably contributed to my slight struggle to really get engrossed in the book at the beginning. That being said, I think I always struggle with that aspect of starting a new book or series, since there is no attachment to the world or the characters. It took me a little while, but after a bit I was hooked, and as soon as I finished it I ordered the sequel, desperate to know what happened next.

I do wish there was a little more focus on the mystery subplot, as I felt this was sort of forgotten about for much of the book, and then the answers given to us at the end. Honestly, I didn't mind too much because I was having such a good time with the characters and the plain plot. I loved the main characters and the chemistry between them, I loved the setting, and I loved the themes that were explored in this book. I tend not to enjoy mixed media books, but I even enjoyed the extracts from Dr Beecham's treatise.

My one complaint was that for a book about people getting sick in Victorian Edinburgh where hygiene was pretty awful, even with the best will in the world, there seemed to be remarkably few deaths among Hazel's patients. I'm sure this was to show how proficient of a physician our heroin was, however it felt a little idealistic to me and almost took me out the story a bit. This is one small complaint, however, in a sea of praise and adoration for this book. And just to top it off, that ending was incredible!

I have such a love for this book, and it has well and truly cemented its place on my list of all time favourites!

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