Review: Bedpan Blues by Sandy Thorne

Title: Bedpan Blues

Author: Sandy Thorne

Published: ST Publishing 2012

Synopsis: Sandy’s hilarious account of her two-month stay in a Sydney public hospital – far from the “back country” where she lives – will really kickstart your funnybone! With one leg out of action, getting ON a bedpan is one thing …. the you have to get off the bloody thing… Almost as big a challenge as trying to get some sleep (“Wake up! Heres’ your Panadol..”)

Status: Read on November 25, 2012

My Thoughts:

This caught my eye on the “new” shelf at the library so I scooped it up hoping for a quick read that would make me laugh, and that it exactly what I got. Bedpan Blues details the two months Sandy Thorne, a bushie from Lightning Ridge, spent laid up in a Sydney city public hospital after a repair to an ankle injury went awry.

Behind Sandy’s mild mannered facade (she is unfailingly polite to the staff and helpful to her less capable ward mates) lurks a bold, brash and wildly opinionated woman who compares the hospital food to cat spew and longs to twist the nuts off of television ad executives. She describes her politics as “a little to the right of Hitler”, and her views on many issues are decidedly not politically correct however she calls them as she seems them and her lack of self censorship is quite refreshing.

As ward mates, and their visitors, come and go, Sandy has to cope with a thief, a diva, a snorer and a dreamer. All she wants is a view out of the window and a little bit of peace and quiet – something the nurses don’t seem inclined to give her. It seems the orthopedic ward is a busy place and it’s no surprise Sandy can’t wait to escape.

Bedpan Blues is a quick, amusing read which will have you laughing and cringing in almost equal measure.

Available to Purchase

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