![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Yet there’s another kind of surgery in the novella as well: the diagnosis and (premature) autopsy of Nick’s and Alyson’s marriage: its current failings arising from the issues of the past, and the petty spite of a union dragged through the wringer by infidelity, trauma and growing indifference. Ferner has done a phenomenal amount of research into brain surgery and writes with an authority which completely convinced me, as a layman. The story is about surgery, of course, and there are several intriguing accounts of operations on the brain, which fascinated me because it’s something I know nothing about and neuroscience still has an almost mystical quality for me. It soon becomes clear that the ‘bone box’ of the title isn’t just the skull, within which the brain-self resides, but also the prisons we build for ourselves, trapping ourselves within excess flesh or addictions. Meanwhile his wife, Alyson, has her own demons to fight. It’s the story of consultant neurosurgeon Nicholas Anderton, whose burgeoning obesity has already threatened his marriage and now raises very serious questions about his professional capabilities. I decided to start with Inside the Bone Box, because it focused on a doctor and that appealed in the wake of Adam Kay’s diaries. At one year old, they’re just about to release a series of five novellas in their Fairlight Moderns series and I was delighted to have a sneak peek. In this day and age, with independent bookshops and small publishers closing in swathes, it’s a joy to hear of a newly-founded enterprise: Fairlight Books in Oxford. ![]()
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