In Sickness

A Memoir

By: Barrett Rollins

Narrated by: Barrett Rollins

A medical emergency forces a brilliant Harvard oncologist to reveal that she has been hiding her advanced breast cancer for a decade. Her husband—also an oncologist—must set aside his anger and feelings of betrayal so that he can care for her during her final year of life.

When Jane, a world-famous Harvard oncologist, suddenly collapses at work, the medical team resuscitating her makes a shocking discovery: she has advanced breast cancer that she’s been hiding for years. The results are catastrophic. In Sickness shows how even the most rational people can be nearly destroyed by their irrational fears. Tragic, moving, and wryly funny at times, this is an unflinching portrayal of a complicated marriage and its secrets.

©2022 Barrett Rollins (P)2022 Recorded Books

Fascinating story

This is a truly unique story, heart wrenching and painfully true, about a couple and the terrible challenges they faced because of keeping a deadly secret. Although I will never understand Jane’s thought process, her husband did a fantastic job of trying to reason away her incredulous secrecy with her cancer diagnosis. Worth a read and I will be contemplating this for some time.

Intense and horrifying at times

The author/narrator is superb. The story is deeply clinical but also incredibly intimate. I would love to meet the author at a book signing.

A perfect storm of dysfunction

This is a unique story. It is an interesting anatomy of a marriage that was successful in its depth of love and longevity but ultimately fatally dysfunctional. The narrator is an extremely conflict avoidant enabler, and his wife strikes me as someone with an undiagnosed and unsupported psychiatric disorder (reminded me greatly of someone with autism). Her brilliance hid and rationalized her dysfunction. Ultimately what I felt was sad. These people love each other but ultimately were not able to be what each other most needed.

Loved everything about this!

Such an honest and authentic portrayal of a progressive marriage, neurodiversity, and the way we love who we love in the best way we can.

This book will capture your heart and soul, Dr Rollins is the perfect narrator of this love story.

I read a synopsis of the book in the Boston Globe and being a medical professional from the area I was instantly drawn to the story. The raw, emotional, human element Barrett shares is brutally honest, heartbreaking and yet you will love him for his impeccable care for Jane, the love of his life. Highly recommend

Quite a story!

I listened to and finished this book over the course of two days. It was that compelling. The reason I give it four stars instead of five is that the central mystery of why Jane hid her condition from her doctor husband for 10 years could not be revealed.

Anatomy of a pathological marriage

This book was difficult and uncomfortable to listen to. I suspect writing it was cathartic for the author, but his psychotherapy did not need to be published. The details about the heparin injections and dressing changes were tedious.

Sad and uncomfortable

Quite frankly, the author shouldn't have written this book, in my opinion. He made he wife seem like a self centered narcissistic woman. The way he described her behavior prior to her diagnosis made her seem like a difficult person at best. I can't imagine staying with someone who treated my only child the way she did. I was hoping at some point, there would be an explanation as to why she was the way she was. If I were her family and/ or friend's I wouldn't forgive him. The, to add the epilogue about reconnecting with one of his old students who had the hots for him while he was dating his wife added to the insult. he remarried in less than 2 years. This isn't a love of your life book. It was too clinical and poor me. He could have gone so many different deep directions but kept it clinical and nasty. Wish I could unhear it.

It’s a parade of mental illness out there…

Wah, it’s a parade of mental illness out there, and these two were definitely leading the parade at one point.

Don't waste your time reading this

This book was an entirely one sided depiction of a husband who was deeply resentful of his wife/marriage, and an attempt to gain pity. As an oncologist myself, we are taught that patient autonomy is at the core of medical care, and if his wife preferred her own way (no matter how bizarre) this should be respected. He paints his late wife in a negative light which is also evident in the tone he uses to describe her. She seemed to be a brilliant oncologist who nobody could "figure out," and this was a complete slandering of her while she is not around to share her side of the story. When she even made it abundantly clear that she did not want her personal life exposed! I am not sure why or how this author was published-it seems immoral. I was left feeling a sense of "ick" several times with the "poor me" and "look how terrible my wife was" messaging. I wouldn't waste my time with this one.