On the Ravine by Vincent Lam

In his downtown Toronto condo, Dr. Chen awakens to the sound of streetcars below, but it is not the early morning traffic that keeps him from sleep. News banners run across his phone: Fentanyl Crisis; Toxic Drug Supply; Record Number of Deaths. From behind the headlines, on the same screen, glow the faces of his patients, the faces of the what-ifs: What if he had done more, or less? Or something different? Would they still be alive?

Claire is a violinist; she feels at one with her music, taking flight in its melody, free in its movement. But now she rises and falls with the opioids in her system, becoming increasingly reckless. After two overdoses in twenty-four hours, she sits in the blue light of her computer, searching a notice board for recommendations:my doctor saved my life;my doctor is just another dealer. And then another message catches her attention, about Chen's clinic:be a guinea pigwhy not get paid to take it?

When Claire's life intersects with Chen's, the doctor is drawn ever more deeply into the complexities of the doctor-patient relationship, the implication and meaning of his intention to treat. Chen must confront just how far he would go to save a life.

Combining the depth of his experience as a physician with the brilliance of his literary talent, Vincent Lam creates a world electric in its precision, radiant in its detail.On the Ravineis a gripping novel of profound emotional force, a soaring achievement from a singular voice in Canadian fiction. (From Knopf Canada)

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Vincent Lam is a Toronto-based short story writer, novelist and medical doctor. Hisbooks include the 2006 ScotiabankGiller Prize-winning story collectionBloodletting & Miraculous CuresandThe Headmaster's Wager,a 2012 novel that was shortlisted for the 2012 Governor General's Literary Award for fiction and the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize.

Interviews with Vincent Lam

The Current23:15In new novel, Dr. Vincent Lam explores substance abuse and how to tackle it

In his new book On The Ravine, award-winning author and physician Dr. Vincent Lam uses fiction to explore different approaches to the opioid crisis. The addiction specialist joins us to discuss the concept of the safe supply of illicit drugs, and blurring the line between fact and fiction.

Other books by Vincent Lam