The Vitals (Tracy Sorensen, Picador)

The Vitals is unlike any other book you will ever read about cancer. The book straddles the line between fiction and nonfiction and is based on Tracy Sorensen’s own cancer story but narrated by her internal organs. Each chapter is told from a body part’s perspective and follows Tracy’s journey from birth to remission. Each organ/body part is personified within these chapters with rich descriptions and metaphors that bring these non-human characters to life. It is a potential answer to the question: what would a society of your internal organs be like? And even more so, what would it be like if it was under attack from a tumour? Through the intricate narrative with many Australian references and a fully developed microcosm, complete with an Organ School and Organ Board Meetings, The Vitals will leave you contemplating what is truly going on inside your body, whether you are unwell or not. This book is for experimental fiction readers and those who like books that blur reality with the bizarre, such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. Similar to these books and The Lucky Galah—Sorensen’s first book longlisted for the Miles Franklin award—The Vitals is best enjoyed when you succumb to the bizarreness and appreciate what a truly unique take on a cancer memoir this book is.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Lisa Schuurman is an editor, writer and book reviewer. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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Category: Reviews