A Year in the Life of an Orkney Doctor
Set in the wild and remote landscape of Eday, part of the Orkney archipelago, Close to Where the Heart Gives Out is an unflinchingly honest and moving tale of rural life, from the only doctor on the island.

‘Malcolm Alexander is to GPs what James Herriot is to vets’ – MATT GAW
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‘An ode to island life in all its glorious foibles’ – THE HERALD
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'A fascinating, funny and utterly heart-warming family adventure.’ – RUTH HOGAN
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An immensely heart-warming story of life on the frontline within extreme circumstances.

When Malcolm Alexander saw the job advert, ‘urgent: island doctor needed’, he applied immediately. What he didn’t anticipate was how much Orkney would affect his family, for better or worse.

In stories that range from the humorous to the deeply moving, Malcolm describes what it’s like adjusting to life without modern conveniences and to the extreme – and constantly changing – weather; and what it means to be providing the best medical care to the local population with limited resources. Which often includes the wildlife as well .

Malcolm’s journey evokes the awe that the Orkney landscape can inspire, as well as the challenges of island life and the demons that the dark, cold winter months can give birth to. Gripping and beautifully written, Close to Where the Heart Gives Out reminds us of the importance of listening to our heart, as well as to the rhythms of the landscape.