THE NATIVE DOCTOR, by A. J. Cronin.

 

 

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THE NATIVE DOCTOR, by A. J. Cronin. 

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Cronin stays this time with world of medicine, hospitals and more, but in a sudden departure from his beloved Scottish country and small or larger towns and cities, mentions an elevator to thirty first floor, within first few lines. Elevator? Thirty first floor? Couldn't possibly be English, any of those, not in his time, could it? The latter, possibly, but surely not the former? It's lift in English. 

But of course, he's mentioned the views of Hudson! And he drops the name soon enough - it's New York this time he's setting his story in; is he writing of U.S. then? He promptly mentions the Old Royal Infirmary, setting his protagonist in context, and we're anchored at the Cronin world setting, just a little further out across the pond. To secure the anchor, he mentions the antagonism of the protagonist at the contrast, and the reader is all set. 

But Cronin has no intention of letting the reader get comfy, and keeps throwing one off until one settles to reading something very unlike usual Cronin fare. So we are off to South Caribbean at Brazil coast, and that's just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. 

Wonder if this work was an experiment for Cronin, to see if he could write off his usual world of U.K. , Scottish countryside, world of medicine, et al? If so, he tried his best to be spectacular, but wasn't that good with details of the plot. 

Or did he actually go through some of this, and wrote it up adding a few details, such as the romance with the Vermont nurse, sketchily? 

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April 12, 2021 - April 14, 2021.

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