Seven Signs of Life encompasses intensive care stories centered around patients and as a means to explain the ICU to the non-clinician. However, Aoife Abbey organises her book by emotion, not by body system. This clever structure of seven feelings (fear, grief, joy, distraction, anger, disgust, and hope) as the “seven signs of life” adds immensely to this book. Each emotion is the subject of one of seven chapters with several patient stories.

Seven Signs leads the reader through the experiences of an intensivist and their patients one by one.

The separation of experience by feelings goes a long way towards not overwhelming the reader, and Aoife Abbey is similarly adept at explaining complex medical procedures to the non-clinician.

She leaves the reader with a strong sense of understanding, not only of medical procedures, but of the thoughts and feelings of doctors, which are so often invisible to patients.

Seven Signs of Life is a worthy addition to the growing collection of doctor memoires.

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