P.S: Minor spoilers in this review.
“Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete.”
It’s been a year since I’ve read When Breath Becomes Air, and although I was initially lured in by the idea of another The Fault In Our Stars -esque book, I was nowhere near prepared for this masterpiece. This book went beyond the common read, describing a true story that draws on a number of fascinating parallels: teacher and student, doctor and patient, and the traditional trope of life and death.
These dichotomies force readers to reflect on the lives they live and ask themselves: am I truly living my life to the fullest? The idea of reading a dying man’s last reflection of his time on earth makes the story all the more poignant. And although the story line is tragic and complex – it wouldn’t have been such a success if it weren’t for Paul Kalanithi’s compelling writing. Some may call this a “coming of age story”, while other may say its a novel that teaches us “how to live while dying”. I would- to simply put it- call this “a book that offers a new, enriching perspective”.
Kalanithi’s autobiographical book opens up with a letter by an acquaintance of Kalanithi,, Abraham Verghese,who discusses what he had learnt from the “friend” that he had hardly known. This touching opening introduces readers to Kalanithi and what the public thought of him, setting the stage for what was to come: an insight into what Kalanithi thought of himself.
The first chapter begins with a quick recount of Kalanithi’s life to date. He first provides us with a glimpse into his early love for literature, and his restlessly curious spirit and mind that constantly chased after meaning in life. After attaining a number of academic degrees, including a major in neuroscience and a minor in english, he eventually found his calling: neurosurgery. This strenuous career path came with a number of personal sacrifices and placed an even larger strain on his marriage to a fellow doctor, Lucy. However, he persisted, knowing that the end of his decade’s worth of training was looming near. What he did not see looming near was an incredibly rare, incredible debilitating form of lung cancer that would soon metastasize throughout his body.
Kalanithi receives his devastating cancer diagnosis soon after vowing to improve upon his marriage and other faucets of his personal life. What makes his diagnosis all the more heart-wrenching is that the practitioner becomes the patient who is no longer focused on building for tomorrow-but is focused on surviving in the here and now.
As Kalanithi’s health declines we see him pass through the stages of grief, and change from hopeful man to hopeless husband, and, in some cases, transforms from stranger to friend. We also see Kalanithi’s perspective shift, as he starts to grapple with what is most meaningful to him. Amidst these emotional and physical changes, Kalanithi tries very hard to regain his ability to perform surgeries and to care for his patients. This takes him back to science and the analytical thinking it entails- yet, at the core of it all, he begins to realize that there is more to life. With this realization, he decides to embrace one of his deepest passions: writing. He begins- and tries to complete- his autobiography, the very book in question.
Kalanithi once wrote to a friend that “The good news is that I’ve already outlived two Brontës, Keats and Stephen Crane. The bad news is that I haven’t written anything”. It is shortly after writing these words that Kalanithi begins to accept his impending death and lays out his call to action. It is only when he embraces his death that he is able to truly “live” leaving the reader wondering: how can I seize the moment before it’s too late?
I personally finished reading Kalanithi’s book in a matter of two days. Although I might have been able to finish it within a day had my eyes not been blurred by tears, and my heart dulled with the imprints that Kalanithi’s words left on it. I would recommend this breathtaking book to anyone; whether or not they are interested in medicine, health, or just learning how to live or how to love. Verghese was right:- although we have – nor ever will- get the chance to meet Paul, by reading his writing, we’ll feel all that much closer to him- and that is a beautiful, breathtaking privilege, in and of itself.