WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR

Narrator Sunil Malhotra is faithful to the straightforward tone of Paul Kalanithi's memoir about facing Stage IV lung cancer at age 36, just as he is finishing his training in neurosurgery. Kalanithi confronts his situation with an unflinching but literary curiosity. Malhotra adeptly delivers the author's confusion over finding himself a confident doctor but a meek patient. He also shares Kalanithi's youthful resistance to becoming a doctor and his contemplations about the meaning of time. What does living one day at a time mean when you don't know how long you have? Kalanithi struggles to find an immediate way forward--should he continue to do surgery, write a book, have a baby? Cassandra Campbell narrates the epilogue by Kalanithi's wife, recounting his final moments in a smooth, empathetic voice that is certain to bring tears. WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR may be unsentimental, but it is profoundly affecting. A.B. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2016]