Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures / Vincent Lam 353 p.

Lam is a Canadian medical doctor and, apparently, a fine writer, too. This is a collection of interwoven short stories which provide snapshots of 4 young people, Ming, Chen, Sri, and Fitz, as they make their way from medical school admissions to established careers. A nice balance of medical detail and personal drama makes this a fast, engaging read. An especially impressive story outlines the outbreak of SARS (remember that?) in Toronto. When the book ends, you want to know far more about these 4 characters than Lam tells us, which is frustrating, but also a measure of his skill.