401. The Tennis Partner

Rating:  ☆☆☆1/2

Recommended by:

Author:   Abraham Verghese

Genre:    Nonfiction, Memoir, Medicine

368 pages, published 1998

Reading Format:  Book

Summary

The Tennis Partner is a memoir by Abraham Verghese, the author of the bestselling book Cutting for Stone.  Verghese writes about a time earlier in his medical career when he befriended David Smith, an Australian medical student recovering from drug addiction and former professional tennis player.   Verghese and Smith share a love for tennis and start playing on a regular basis.  Verghese writes with poignancy about this time period when he separated from his wife and David slid back into addiction.

Quotes 

It made one a perpetual student, a posture that I respected more than the posture of absolute mastery.

 

My Take

While The Tennis Partner is well written, it didn’t resonate with me nearly as much as  Cutting for Stone, a beautifully written book and author Abraham Verghese’s masterpiece.  However, The Tennis Partner still has a lot to recommend it.  In a similar vein as Beautiful Boy, which I highly recommend, it is a moving account of the helplessness of watching someone you care for continuously slip back into addiction.  Tough reading at times, but I still recommend it.