4 out of 4 stars
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R.J Petrella’s Days of the Giants is a story focused on Slater Barnes’ first year as an intern at Boston City Hospital (BCH) and his search for a higher purpose in medicine, a deeper meaning to a doctor’s journey between paychecks. The narrative is set in the early 1990s and is mainly presented from Slater’s point of view, with interventions from his late father from heaven as to provide an objective perspective on the story, interventions Slater is unaware of.
The book is 394 pages long and is divided into seven parts and an intriguing prologue. Throughout the story we are introduced to compelling characters like Don Lindy, Slater’s best friend, Sofia, his girlfriend, Mel, his step-father, and multiple hospital employees which prove to be a great looking glass into Slater’s personality. I found all characters to be well-developed and memorable. Don Lindy made a meaningful impression on me as your typical hero material guy, but his character goes way deeper than that and his relationship dynamic with Slater was always captivating and a catalyst for his self-development.
I really liked the alternating perspectives on the story. Mr. Barnes’ objective interventions feel like a breath of fresh air from Slater’s subjective and often angry description of events. They are also helpful since they give us a sneak peek into events unknown to Slater and sometimes reveal his inner feelings despite his dislike for revealing himself to the reader.
What I did not like is the amount of anger Slater expresses in his monologues which feels a little forced to me at times, but I found it to be a great insight into his past and his frustrations, as he sometimes seems to exaggerate his reactions due to past wounds.
Petrella delivers a thought-provoking thriller and draws a fascinating parallel between public hospitals and private hospitals, all of that blended with politics, crime, and mystery. At the end of the day it felt like a coming-of-age story which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Considering the aforementioned arguments, I rate R.J. Petrella’s Days of the Giants 4 out of 4 stars. Despite a bit too much subjectivity on Slater’s part, this thriller proved to be a page turner, a highly intriguing narrative which felt like a great portrayal of a doctor’s day-to-day struggle. There were no significant grammatical errors. I highly recommend this book to thriller and mystery novel fans.
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Days of the Giants
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