Dr. Charles Highway

The Rachel Papers

The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis

This was the first book I read when I got into med school. Not because anyone had told me that it was good, I just liked the cover (The Penguin Vintage Classics one). A year on from first reading it, I still rank it in my Top 5 novels (which changes monthly mind you). The premise is simple: A) Boy is about to turn twenty B) Boy wants to sleep with an older girl C) Boy creates stratagems to get said girl.

Just reading that makes it sound soo silly, however, Martin Amis some how managed to make a plot so simple become much more. I’m not saying that the secret of life is somehow magically resolved. It’s more the fact that the novel seemed written about some similar experiences [not the chasing older women part ] I had had just before med school and during it as well.

I suggest anyone reads it, boy or girl, because it shares some interesting perspectives in the psyche of young adults. Plus it’s freaking hilarious.