Paul Bradley, a smart, well educated, computer software engineer has just gotten a divorce, sold the farm and, at forty, is starting back to medical school. He has been asking and continues to ask some of life’s big questions. Like what is the point of all this struggle for existence anyway and how does the universe really work, spirituality-wise.His friend Bob is a somewhat scruffy-looking computer scientist that used to work with Paul. In appearance, he gives the general impression that he would be just as at home standing on the median divider of a highway holding a cardboard sign reading ”Will Compute for Food.” He is an information junkie and has expertise in just about all of the sciences and most brands of meta-physics, having been a Zen Buddhist earlier in his life. He has spent much of his life in search of higher awareness, including the use of various psychoactive chemical accelerants.The story begins with Paul starting naturopathic medical school in Portland, Oregon. He is immediately attracted to another medical student, Laura, a woman of southern persuasion who is the same age as Paul. She is beautiful and a good match for him intellectually. Laura has a wonderfully funny personality but when crossed, takes no prisoners. The attraction between Paul and Laura continues to grow stronger through the four years of school together.There are three other older medical students that together with Paul and Laura form the Geriatric Five. This group includes:Don–he didn’t say much, but was awfully quietAnn–she seemed less interested in humans than in the animal menagerie that lived with her (possums, cats, one bad-ass parrot, two crippled pigeons, etc.)Tony–he was an Italian from New Jersey and had a masters degree in pugnaciousThis group provides a stable and caring backdrop as well as sources of occasional melodrama.Every chapter contains at least one medical myth that is shattered by the philosophy of naturopathic medicine. Usually they are examples of finding the actual causes of the health problems and fixing them rather than suggesting pharmaceuticals to cover them up–e.g. ADHD, arthritis, eczema, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. (This is a point of view not necessarily blessed by the AMA.)Paul and Laura spend much of their interaction time in a pleasant banter that grows less contentious and more playful as they fall in love. This exchange provides much of the humorous background in the novel.But before Laura can give herself completely to Paul, she must shed the attachment to a philandering former boyfriend named Chuck left behind in her North Carolina home town. Once she has closure on that bit of history, she and Paul are free to form the relationship that has seemed inevitable.Paul’s three children from his first marriage, Matthew, Sean and Samantha enter the scene periodically along with Laura’s daughter Tory. They add comic relief to the story and some interesting personalities to the mix. Even Paul’s ex-wife makes a few appearances seemingly just to stir up everyone’s emotions.Paul spends a little of each week during much of medical school as a computer consultant with his former company. As well as providing access to his friend Bob, it gives Paul a chance to comment on various aspects of American culture, like greed and ruthlessness from a slightly different point of view.Several of Paul and Laura’s experiences are chronicled as they see patients in the medical school clinic. Some of these are major successes and some are failures, but all provide insight into the benefits of natural medicine as opposed to the kind of medical treatment that is currently dominant in this country.The story ends with Laura and Paul graduating, taking the medical boards and starting their practice near San Francisco. Their first patient in their new medical office is a former associate of Ram Dass and is an obvious blessing from Neem Karoli Baba regarding their new venture.
