Dirty Work, Gabriel Weston
Dirty Work, Gabriel Weston
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Dirty Work
A Novel

Author: Gabriel Weston

Narrator: Carolyn Cook

Unabridged: 5 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/12/2014

Synopsis

An informed and arresting debut novel about a young surgeon in crisis, by a writer whose "exactitude of expression is rare and uncanny" (Rachel Cusk).

Nancy Mullion, an obstetrician-gynecologist whose botched surgery has put a patient in a life-threatening coma, must face a medical tribunal to determine if she can continue to practice medicine. Nancy's fears about both her patient's chances for survival and whether she will be "undoctored" are made palpable to the reader. Throughout four weeks of intense questioning and accusations, this physician directly confronts for the first time her work as an abortion provider -- how it helps the lives of others but takes a heavy toll on her own.

Interweaving memories of Nancy's English and American childhood and adolescence, Dirty Work creates an emotionally charged portrait of one woman's life; the telling of seemingly untellable stories sets her free, as it can all women. Gabriel Weston has given us a truly original, courageous, and meaningful novel.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Fiona on June 30, 2013

A nuanced and powerful novel about abortion told from the perspective of a doctor who performs them. It looks at the realities of the procedure and the difference between early and later terminations, suggesting that if we are to accept the right to choose we should not shy away from what this reall......more

Goodreads review by Michael on April 09, 2015

Gabriel Weston's thought-provoking "Dirty Work: A Novel" examines the ethical issues facing a doctor after a botched surgery. Dr. Nancy Mullion faces a medical tribunal over a four-week period, and during that time, she reflects on her life as an ob-gyn specialist who performs abortions. Weston pres......more

Goodreads review by Magnus on August 09, 2022

Dirty Work is a painful and nuanced look at abortions, and how they affect not only the recipients, but the surgeons as well. I came upon this book by accident, and I picked it up due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade bringing reproductive rights squarely into focus for me. From all the blurbs and p......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on June 16, 2021

Kind of both melodramatic and boring, but honestly how else do you expect a take on abortion surgeon life to be? 3.5 stars, I would read more of this niche......more

Goodreads review by Bonnie on August 16, 2014

Nancy Mullion is a trained surgical obstetrician/gynecologist. She has chosen to terminate pregnancies for a career. That's right, she is an abortion doctor. As the novel opens up, she is in surgery, having done four out of five procedures for the day and is on her fifth. Something goes dreadfully w......more

Quotes

Praise for Dirty Work:
"A lot of books are called 'brave,' and they aren't. Dirty Work is."--Lionel Shriver, author of We Need to Talk About Kevin

"Weston has an unwavering passion for the truth as well as the courage to tell it."--The Telegraph (UK)

"Perfectly measured doses of compassion, respect for human dignity and straight-talking attention to detail....A gripping read."--Observer (UK)

"Making Nancy self-aware allows Weston to explore a doctor's feelings in a way that is nuanced and affecting."--Times (UK)

"In Dirty Work, the weave of past and present, strength of characterization and storytelling, captured my attention and masterfully pulled me through the ethical challenges at the heart of the book. I learned so much about abortion generally, about my own feelings on the subject, and about the complexities of medicine-particularly in those areas where doing the right thing is unimaginably hard."—Louise Aronson, author of A History of the Present Illness and associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco

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