An Apologia of Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam - A Canadian Gem

At the emergence of his literary career, Dr. Vincent Lam has without question already made a name for himself in the canon of Canadian literature. His first book Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, a collection of twelve short stories, has been critically and publicly acclaimed not only in Canada, but internationally as well. Each individual story exudes a personal quality which transcends fiction, and tells truths from real life in the Canadian milieu. His work is, “a steady accumulation of truths” (Hughes). In numerous interviews, Lam has stated that there is a strong connection between his professional and personal experiences and the novel, noting that, “being a writer makes me listen for a story” (Fillon). Indeed, there are many parallels between the life of Vincent Lam, a Canadian of Chinese descent, and the characters in the book. Lam acknowledged that, “There’s one story that’s autobiographical, called “A Long Migration”” (McBride). The characters in the story not only reflect Lam’s own struggles to get accepted into medical school, but also address the cultural and racial issues faced by a minority in Canadian society. “All of them experienced things I’ve experienced emotionally,” he said (McBride). “Like all great fiction, [Bloodletting] is both the absolute truth and a vehicle for taking us to a place we’ve never been before” (Mukherjee). This great layering of complexities evinces the exceptional quality of Lam’s work, and his vast insight into the human intellect, the mental condition, social norms and the Canadian mind.

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures presents universal themes and ideals while Lam artfully addresses issues of ethics and morals that are pertinent to all societies and cultures. However, the book has a keen aversion to the Canadian identity, explored specifically through distinctly Canadian geography. On the very first page Lam establishes a Canadian context with a truly Canadian event - winter. Immediately he notes the vast Ontario snowbanks and snowstorms and the perpetual dripping noses that come with the tundra. As well as this, Lam integrates obvious Canadian locales such as the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, coupled with Torontonian slang and streets to establish a candid Canada. Finally, the topic of the novel, medicine, provides a subject for the novel in an industry in which Canada is internationally known and acclaimed for.

Much like Canada’s acclaimed medical industry, Vincent Lam too has become acclaimed, but in a different industry - literature. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures brought forward immense accolades from critics. Time Magazine hailed “Lam’s insanely gripping book is also illuminated by shafts of radiant, beautiful prose” (Mukherjee). Canadian literary icon and famed author Margaret Atwood wrote on Bloodletting, “It has something - and that something is authenticity and drama and a feel of gritty real life” (CBC Arts). Fiction and non-fiction work of Lam’s has also been published in The Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the University of Toronto Medical Journal (CTV News). Lam gained even more international praise when he was shortlisted (one of three finalists) for The Story Prize in the United States in January, 2008 (CBC News). However, Lam’s greatest accomplishment was his surprise win of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada’s highest literary honours (CBC Arts). Acknowledging the profound stories and success in Lam’s work, HBO Canada recently signed a deal to produce Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures into a television series, further exemplifying the impact Lam has had on numerous facets of the Canadian culture (Frenette).

Lam best relates his occupation and literature when he states: “What happens to you, as a doctor, is that someone comes to you and tells you the beginning of the story. What they’re hoping you’ll do is tell them the end of the story.” (McBride). Indeed, Lam has succeeded in the art of story telling, as his Giller Prize win is a testimony to that fact. Undoubtedly, Lam has made a strong contribution to Canadian literature, and he remains in the spotlight as the nation awaits the release of his next upcoming novel. Lam has used the occupation of physicians as a conveyance for telling a tale of life, love, perseverance, regret, hope and inevitably, death. Everyone in Canada has access to medicine, and the vast majority have been to a doctor in their lifetime, but most simply acknowledge ‘the doctor’ as a face, a healer, the one that makes them better. Lam humanizes his doctors by giving them a story worthy of an audience. For this reason alone, Lam is deserving of the magnitude of attention he is receiving for Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures.

“Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention” (Baetz and Nixon). Time Magazine’s literature critic summed up the universal recommendation on Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures best in his review: “Read it” (Mukherjee).