Recovery: The Lost Art of Convalescence

The Sunday Times bestseller: an uplifting account of hope and healing by GP Gavin Francis

'I cannot think of anybody - patient or doctor - who will not be helped by reading this short and profound book' - Henry Marsh

'Such a wise, gentle, quietly hopeful book. Exactly what I needed' - Rachel Clarke

'A lovely little book' - Michael Rosen

When it comes to illness, sometimes the end is just the beginning. Recovery and convalescence are words that exist at the periphery of our lives - until we are forced to contend with what they really mean.

Here, GP and writer Gavin Francis explores how - and why - we get better, revealing the many shapes recovery takes, its shifting history and the frequent failure of our modern lives to make adequate space for it.

Characterised by Francis's beautiful prose and his view of medicine as 'the alliance of science and kindness', Recovery is a book about a journey that most of us never intend to make. Along the way, he unfolds a story of hope, transformation, and the everyday miracle of healing.