Perspective

The book is written mostly in first person. Gawande discusses his feelings and emotions resulting from his actions and mistakes. He poses several thought-provoking questions and his musings are often directed at the reader.

Since it is based on real experiences, the retelling of stories, particularly of patients, the book requires some third person narrative. Since the book is rooted in the uncertainties of medical practice, the third person voice is never completely omniscient—just as knowledgeable as a human being in the situation would be.

Dialogue is infrequently used and the stories are told mostly through description. The characters are typically limited to only one chapter, therefore exposition in the third person narrative is used to create sufficient development and backstory.

The author is a surgical resident writing about his experiences and explains the typical biases of this group of people—the need to collect...