Debasmita Basak

I truly feel sorry that Paul Kalanithi had to endure inexplicable sufferings and defeat against a terminal disease. There is no shadow of doubt that he was brave and faced death with integrity. I also agree that he was the best of all minds in his time, in his area of work and research; but as a writer I found him to be pretty average. The writing was verbose. He used unnecessary literary quotes and philosophical reflections that hampered reading quite seriously (at least mine). The only part of the book that I really enjoyed and felt was heart wrenching, was the epilogue written by Lucy Kalanithi, Paul's wife. Her writing was lucid and heartfelt. Her revelation of the events moved me and made me see what she, Kalanithi family and of course, Paul were going through. Paul's writing appears to me as a literary essay rather than an anecdote of life events. While I say this, I evaluate Paul as a writer not as a neurosurgeon or a courageous fighter who lost his life in the battle with cancer. In a way, I feel that he eventually chose the correct profession by not studying literature.