In The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum, Michael is the best pediatric craniofacial surgeon in the state. He is self-opinionated, cold, refuses to be told anything, and is a domineering, bad-tempered husband to long-suffering Rosie. They married due to her becoming pregnant while he was still studying, but that did not stop him from having affairs. Years later, his daughter Michaela is born, and he is besotted with her. Tragedy strikes, resulting in Michael making a pact with God to be humble. To help, he begins a journal, and although he tries, he is not very successful. He begins to spiral down, and when a botched operation results in blinding a child, the hospital demands he see a psychiatrist. He has repressed many of his feelings, from his father’s rejection of him to his misogynistic views on women, and is determined to fool his therapist. But life catches up with him, leaving him to face the real world with tragic consequences.

The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum is a book I shall remember for a long time. Michael is an unlovable character, loud, overbearing, and thoroughly unpleasant, yet I was drawn to care about him. I felt so sorry for his poor wife Rosie; she did everything she could to keep him calm, but that only infuriated him further. The sessions with his psychiatrist were fascinating, the dialogue intense as Michael twisted and turned not to reveal the truth. As an only child brutally rejected by his father, he really did not care about peer pressure, and it was intriguing to read about a man who did not care what anyone else thought. The writing is tight, and the author handles the tension as to the real truth with skill. We may guess what happened, but we are not sure, and the last few pages are a revelation. A very different book that kept me turning the pages.

In The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum, Michael’s upbringing is very different from that of his wife, Rosie. Michael's parents were not very religious like those of Rosie. Another thing that influenced Michael's upbringing was his relationship with his father, who was not very affectionate. Michael and Rosie get married early, before Michael starts his medical training, when Rosie becomes pregnant. Due to being busy, he doesn’t spend much time with his son, and by the time he realizes it, it is too late. How will things turn out between him and his son? On other issues, their marriage is not going very well. Things become worse when their second child dies in an accident. The death takes a huge toll on Michael, and he decides to make a big change by giving up his pride. 

Being a medical student, I related quite strongly to The Year of My Humiliation by C.J. Sursum. Once you start reading, there is no putting it down. I loved the unique writing style and the suspense, which got me hooked from the first chapter to the last. The themes captured, such as religion, marriage, and professional life, were thought-provoking and got one thinking about how professional life interacts with other aspects of life. The characters were well-developed, and Sursum also ensured that all events and emotions were vividly described, which captured the reader's attention. The reader will also appreciate the excellent narration and the easy-to-understand language used, which makes the work accessible to all kinds of audiences.  I look forward to reading something else by Sursum.