It is an exciting time for Dr Harrison, who has just returned from last month’s London launch of the novel and will celebrate its Dunedin release this week.
‘‘The London release of the book was a brilliant experience. It all went exactly as I wanted to go,’’ Dr Harrison said.
Long-standing medical friends were on hand to support her at the launch, and to discuss some of the issues raised in the book, including challenges facing women in medicine and the surgical specialties as well as class in medicine.
‘‘These were among the issues that I faced as a junior doctor in the early 1990s, and which remain challenges to this day,’’ she said.
Although Dr Harrison’s debut novel, One in Three is her fifth book, she has also published two medical textbooks, and two collections of short stories, Admissions and New Admissions.
‘‘When I started out as a writer, short stories seemed like a manageable place to start — at that stage, the thought of writing a novel was overwhelming,’’ Dr Harrison said.
‘‘Once I had my short story collections published, it gave me confidence to start on writing my novel.
‘‘Now, six years later, it is very exciting to have it published,’’ she said.
Published by The Book Guild Ltd, One in Three is the story of a young male doctor struggling with the demands of endless hours on call in NHS hospitals.
The title refers to the roster for trainee doctors at the time, who were expected to be on call for one night in every three.
‘‘I drew on my experiences as a house officer 30 years ago, and my memories of life on the wards,’’ Dr Harrison said.
Set in 1989, against the backdrop of the unfolding Aids epidemic, the book combines elements of a medical thriller and romance.
It also brings in a New Zealand connection in the form of Kiwi trainee surgeon Ainslie, for whom Dr Harrison drew on her own experiences in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology.
‘‘In the 1980s, it was unusual for women to become surgeons. There were almost no female consultants in the hospitals where I trained.
‘‘There are now more women who have become consultants in surgical specialties, but unfortunately sexism within hospitals is still an issue,’’ she said.
Having spent her career working in public health systems, where funding and resources are always a challenge, Dr Harrison remains committed to the system.
‘‘It is very important that we have public health systems that are based on need, and not what people can afford to pay for,’’she said.
She works in the Dunedin Public Hospital Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health.