Everything But the Medicine

Longlisted for the 2026 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards

Wise, candid, brave and moving, this superbly written memoir by a New Zealand GP is reminiscent of the warm wisdom and humanity of the American physician and writer Atul Gawande.

Over her long career Dr Lucy O'Hagan has developed deep insights into the profound but often complex relationship between patients and doctors. Reading about her own struggle with what it means to be a truly useful doctor is both fascinating and absorbing.

From working with people living on the margins and her own burnout to her efforts to better serve her Māori patients and the humour that's sometimes needed to get through the day, she keeps her eye on one key question: What is it to be a good doctor in this place?