The unforgettable memoir from the bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things About Elsie

'One of the most beautiful books you will ever read' Kate Mosse In this powerful memoir, Joanna Cannon tells her story as a junior doctor in visceral, heart-rending snapshots. We walk with her through the wards, facing extraordinary and daunting moments: from attending her first post-mortem, sitting with a patient through their final moments, to learning the power of a well- or badly chosen word. These moments, and the small sustaining acts of kindness and connection that punctuate hospital life, teach her that emotional care and mental health can be just as critical as restoring a heartbeat. In a profession where weakness remains a taboo, this moving, beautifully written book brings to life the vivid, human stories of doctors and patients - and shows us why we need to take better care of those who care for us.

"Now a best-selling writer, Cannon's stories of her time as a junior doctor explore how humans can give each other hope and compassion in even the darkest of moments." - Stylist

"The story of the struggling NHS has been told in several excellent books recently, and this is among the best. We need to listen." - Guardian

"In Breaking and Mending, [Joanna Cannon] brings her literary talents to her previous career in a memoir brimming with her trademark compassion and psychological insight. ... What sets Cannon's book apart is not just its humanity and wisdom but the novelist's keen observational eye. Cannon is a chronicler both of the human condition and the quotidian details - the clothes, the tics, the sights, sounds, smells and ephemera - which speak to who we are." - Observer

"Before she became a novelist, Cannon worked as a doctor. Here, she recalls her days on the wards in the most moving way." - Red

"This raw and emotional memoir ... is full of depth and insight, and made me so grateful to all those who work in healthcare." - Prima

"Cannon is on her way to becoming a national treasure - no one does quirky, funny and soul-searing the way she does" - Emerald Street

"There is so much compassion in this memoir, so much kindness and empathy. But there is also anger at the way the caring profession doesn't seem to care for those who work in it. It's a heartbreaking read but it ends on a hopeful note." - The Sunday Express

"A book driven by kindness and hope. It's a rare view into a strange and challenging word." - Sainsbury's Magazine

"Has all the makings of a highly charged novel, complete with unsavoury characters: the registrar who abandons the newly qualified Cannon mid-shift to go on holiday, the consultant who shouts and spits on her during a meeting. And there is plenty of tragedy, as she writes frankly about how difficult she found it to maintain professional distance from her most heartbreaking cases. Ultimately, though, hers is a hopeful story ... this NHS memoir is well-paced and often beautifully told." - Sunday Times

"There's an admirable ballsiness to Cannon. She whistleblows. She wears her heart on her sleeve. Plainly, she wants to nurture mental health in others and seeks to expose the stress, ridiculous workload and lack of pastoral care she experienced in medicine ... She writes lyrically, with a novelist's verve and colour" - Times

"It is a breathtaking book ... Cannon's narrative skill here is subtle yet tremendous ... Cannon does language expertly, describing not only how to live, but why. I imagine she was the kind of doctor that surely all doctors should strive to be: human, honest, questioning, and (carefully) kind ... Joanna Cannon's story is beautiful. Here's to the wild cards." - Telegraph

"Intimate, delicately constructed and as absorbing as it is arresting" - i Paper

"Intimate, delicately constructed and as absorbing as it is arresting" - Scotland on Sunday