Book Description
Characters
Being Mortal has a large cast of real-life characters because the author recounts his many experiences with people at the end of their lives. That said, he has knack for connecting readers with characters in a few short sentences.
Setting
This book takes place at a very specific setting – when people are nearing death. The location can be anywhere; the timeline is likely across decades. But there is consistency because the many events recounted all have to do with the name of the book, Being Mortal.
Plot
Being Mortal explores the tenuous period between life and death. It is written by a physician, who understands the medical complexities of death, but also seems to want to comprehend the philosophy behind it.
See description and other reviews on GoodReads.
An Editor’s Book Review
Character Development
There is not a strong main character to follow through this book. The author is mostly a musing observer and lets readers to come to their own conclusions. That said, the people at the end of their lives that he describes are fully fleshed. While I may not remember their names a year after reading the book, their stories still echo in my mind years later.
Pacing
The pacing never feels too slow because the author alternates between data and dialogue. As in, he spends a brief amount of time explaining and musing. Then, he introduces scenes and interactions he’s had with people that read as pure narrative. While the book place could be considered slow, readers are drawn in by this dynamic setup.
Writing Style
Surprisingly, the writing style is very approachable – not something you’d necessarily expect of a physician. There are very few bits of dense medical-ese. The focus is on the human experience. Here’s a short excerpt that shows a more musing paragraph, which tend to more complex than the narrative descriptions.
Hospice has tried to offer a new ideal for how we die. Although not every has embraced its rituals, those who have are helping to navigate an ars moriendi for our age. But doing so represents a struggle – not only against suffering but also against the seemingly unstoppable momentum of medical treatment.
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande p. 165
Related Recommendations
If you enjoyed Being Mortal, you may want to read When Breath Becomes Air, which is also an exploration of death written by a physician. But When Breath Becomes Air is more personal as it is a true memoir focused on the author’s diagnosis with a deadly cancer.