REVIEW: Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay

A fabulously festive follow-up packed with laughs and poignancy

TWAS THE NIGHTSHIFT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

by Adam Kay Published 17th October 2019 by Picador

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of Adam Kay's debut, This Is Going To Hurt before it published in 2017. I knew I was interested in medicine (even flirting with the idea of studying it for a short while before I realised how many years it took to qualify...) and enjoyed non-fiction that gave a behind-the-scenes peak into an area I wasn't able to explore in my own life, but I had no idea that I'd fall so head-over-heels for the book. I don't think a week has gone by without me talking about the book or pushing it on someone since, and I was absolutely thrilled when Adam announced a second book, Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas. I'd decided to save it for myself as a festive treat (which took quite some willpower) and read it over the holidays this year as an unusual source of festive cheer. Did it hit the spot?

Of course it did. Anyone who has read either of Adam's books (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for?) will know that he's perhaps the funniest writers of the past few years. Barely a page went by without my chuckling away, and my partner regularly felt the need to check I was OK and not in the midst of an asthma attack from the noises I was making.

Adam manages to brilliantly flick between moments of incredible poignancy - such as elderly relatives that're dropped off at hospitals shortly before Christmas with some sudden condition so that they don't have to be looked after over Christmas, or moments of heartbreaking loss for prospective parents - and moments of hilarity - too many to mention, but there's a brilliant reference comparing Secretary of States for Health to Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers and a fantastic line about a mother with two kids born on separate Christmases that particularly stand out. It's a real gift to master two such diverse emotions and responses from the reader, but it's done masterfully here.

My only slight hiccup with the book is its brevity. It's very short - I read it in about an hour - and while this does help keep the book incredibly concise and on-theme, focusing on each Christmas Adam worked in a hospital (and one after he's left), it also means that we don't get as much of Adam and his own personal journey coming through. Part of what made the first book so powerful was seeing Adam's progress from aspiring doctor to someone worn down by a system that is a constant force of oppression on the passionate, talented and incredibly admirable people that work within it. As this is more scattershot and focused on the time of year, you don't get to see as much of Adam's journey and character, which is a shame, but the hilarity more than makes up for it, and the incredible use of footnotes helps add bursts of Adam's character and opinions at key points.

Overall, while it is a shorter read than I'd have liked, I think that's a huge compliment. So many books feel overlong or just the right length, and with so many books to get through it can often feel like you're racing to reach the end to start something new. When a book breaks through that leaves you desperate for more, even knowing that your TBR pile is threatening to topple on you at any moment, it's high praise indeed.

I'm jealous of anyone who hasn't discovered Adam's books yet and gets to read them for the first time. They're powerful, witty, laugh-out-loud funny and an important message for everyone in the UK, and around the world, who values the healthcare system and the angels who work within it. I can't recommend these books highly enough.

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