The Citadel

THE CITADEL

by A.J. Cronin

 

Award: National Book Winner 1937

 

Date Read: April 2, 2021

 

Andrew Manson is young, idealistic and armed with a medical degree. His first post is in a small town in the Scottish countryside where he is essentially an indentured servant to a doctor whose health is failing. Yet, in this small community he learns the practicalities of his profession and falls in love with Christine, who he ultimately marries.

 

His passion is so intense that Andrew, along with lifelong friend Denny, determine to blow up a sewer they know is infected with typhoid. Since money is so scarce in this remote village, they know that only in destroying it entirely will the Ministry be forced to deal with it. This is just one of the small scenes throughout this captivating novel that will stay in my mind.

 

As with all youth, Manson is swept along to bigger and better things and, like youth, his idealism and passion are eventually supplanted by the necessities of living, desire for prestige and the lust for money. Manson becomes single-minded in his focus on earning money and earn he does, but only by sweeping aside his principles and desires to further the science of healing.

 

Manson begins tending to the upper-crust of London society, shilling pointless elixirs, dodgy diagnoses, and humoring hypochondriacs to make a buck (or, rather, a pound). This is an age-old tale but still feels so very relevant today. Christine, who loved the poor doctor that she married, is horrified by this new Andrew and appalled by the company he keeps. How their marriage survived this period is a testament to Christine’s character.

 

Ultimately, however, through a tragic turn of events, Andrew is reacquainted with his purpose and his quest to truly heal his patients. 

 

I truly loved this work by Cronin and although some of the details were definitely of the times, the overall concept is very much modern. Throughout, I kept questioning the character of Andrew and I am still unsure if I actually like him as a man. He is plagued by petty jealousies, is spiteful in disagreements and seems to have a frighteningly fragile self-esteem. Some of the ways he treats Christine were horrible. I will continue to ponder whether this made him simply flawed as all humans are, more believable as a character or just an asshole. I doubt I will come to any conclusions.

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