Publication
Imprint: Hood River, Oregon : Crispin/Hammer Publishing, c2001. Respnsibility: Craig Joseph Danner. OCLC Number: 319862368. Physical: 1 volume : 255 pages ; 24 cm.
Call number
Fiction / Danne
ISBN
0970640595 / 9780970640598
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Description: An American doctor brings her medical expertise to a snowy village in northern India and quickly finds herself in over her head. After her husband, Richard, dies, Mary Davis relocates to the small, rudimentary Himalayan hospital where he once worked, hoping to carry on his medical labor of love. The remote, bare-bones facility is run by Dr. Vargeela, a hero of Richard's, who disappears shortly after Mary's arrival, leaving her in charge of a small staff of nurses, a motley collection of patients--some severely ill--and limited medical provisions, as well as the drugged-out, obnoxious Western hippies who regularly drift into the hospital. Davis's diligence, along with plenty of rushed (and impressively detailed) operations, pays off, and she manages to keep the facility afloat. But she's powerless to stop the kidnapping of Phillip Davenport, the teenage son of a British diplomat, who becomes a patient of Mary's when he breaks his neck. Preparing to transfer Phillip to a different hospital, Mary sends him off in a jeep whose driver, well aware of the pampered boy's bankability, ends up holding him for ransom.
FY2017 /
FY2017 /
Physical description
255 p.; 24 cm
Awards
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (Winner — 2002)
Description
"In a remote Himalayan village, a widowed American doctor searches for the ghost of her husband, an injured traveler is kidnapped, and the waiter in the local dhaba finds love when he leasts expects it"--Back cover.
Language
Original language
English
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member EricaKline
A newly-widowed woman physician goes to the small Himalayan town her husband loved, and works in thier hospital. Spiritual and humanistic, with good picture of life in this mountain village, and a lively plot.
LibraryThing member kootibkiteer
Not even 25 pages into this book, I was on Google Earth searching for the towns and landmarks mentioned within. It is based on real places, and it is hard to believe the characters are not real as well. Summaries suggest that the protagonist is a doctor named Mary who leaves her life behind in the
It is a rare author who can create morally gray, imperfect characters that the reader still cares about. I was even concerned for the "villian" of the story.
Also, I did not find this to be one of those stories where a Westerner goes to India to "find themselves". Mary went to India because she had no other place to be. She does struggle with her purpose there, but Himalayan Dhaba lacks the preachiness, predictability, and somewhat racist stereotypes of those other tales.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read.
Notice: the story depicts sexual assault, violence, surgical procedures, and tragic deaths-- It is not overly graphic, however, but I feel is included to show real life in the area for better or worse.
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United States; however, I feel that the real protagonist is the small, unnamed Himalayan town loosely based on the real town of Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Mary is a central figure but so is Amod, the waiter, Meena, a struggling young woman, Philip, an injured tourist, Ravi, a surgical patient, Tamding, a hospital employee, Antone, an opioid addict, and Kali, a stray dog.It is a rare author who can create morally gray, imperfect characters that the reader still cares about. I was even concerned for the "villian" of the story.
Also, I did not find this to be one of those stories where a Westerner goes to India to "find themselves". Mary went to India because she had no other place to be. She does struggle with her purpose there, but Himalayan Dhaba lacks the preachiness, predictability, and somewhat racist stereotypes of those other tales.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read.
Notice: the story depicts sexual assault, violence, surgical procedures, and tragic deaths-- It is not overly graphic, however, but I feel is included to show real life in the area for better or worse.
Show Less