Book Review: The Way of All Flesh

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Perry is set in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1847. In this time of exciting medical discoveries, a great divide still existed between the rich who could afford proper care and those whose lives where considered of little value. Despite his humble background, medical student Will Raven manages to secure an apprenticeship with the renowned Doctor Simpson. As he prepares to move to the New Town to start this new chapter in his life, Raven discovers his friend's Evie lifeless body, bearing the signs of a gruesome death.

As more young women start being found dead in the Old Town, all of them apparently having suffered gruesome ends, Raven, aided by Dr Simpson's bright and intelligent housemaid Sarah, sets off to investigate the suspicious deaths. Their search for answers will lead them to uncover a much darker reality than they could have ever imagined.

The book is brilliantly written, with a perfect balance between a flowing narrative and richly detailed descriptions of both the atmosphere of 19th century Edinburgh and the ongoing medical breakthroughs and experimentations of that time. In addition to careful and accurate detailing of medical procedures, the authors managed to give a glimpse of the opposition with which scientific innovations were met, in this case portrayed by the Church's refusal of the use of anaesthesia to ease women's pain during childbirth. The authors also perfectly conveyed how powerless women were in those times through the characters of Sarah, unable to pursue her love for medicine, Mina, considered a failure due to her being unmarried, and all the women exploited and prevented from making decisions even when it came to their own bodies. Raven's character development is also extremely captivating and expertly written, with the readers only being given glimpses of his past and his darker thoughts. His relationship with Sarah was also brilliantly developed, bringing the two characters from mutual feelings of dislike and cold detachment to friendship and mutual admiration.

Although Raven's character undoubtedly grows into a more mature and overall better person throughout the novel, I felt Sarah was the real heroine of the story, and the character I found most captivating and compelling. Far too often historical fiction overlooks female characters and portrays them almost as empty shells void of any hint of personality. Sarah's passion for medicine and science, her stubbornness and refusal to let her current situation stop the pursuit of her goals are not only inspiring, but what I believe is an accurate representation of many women throughout the ages. Her curiosity and determination are the same qualities that led to women fighting for their rights and for gender equality.