I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

TW: Discussions surrounding the topic of Suicide are prevalent in this book. Reader Discretion advised. 

Author Betsy Gall shares the painful truth behind the tragic loss of her husband in the book “The Illusion of the Perfect Profession”.

The Synopsis

Betsy Gall was living the American dream. Married to an oncologist with three healthy children; life was pretty darn good. That all changed on Thanksgiving Day of 2019 when her “life of the party” physician husband took his own life. Matthew Taylor Gall, M.D., M.S., who had devoted his entire life to saving lives, was dead at the young age of 49. The Illusion of the Perfect Profession is a culmination of Betsy’s journals, letters to God, and her journey with faith throughout this horrific traumatic experience that left her family shattered and asking how could this happen. Through reading and research, Betsy discovered that physician suicide is a trend. One million patients lose their doctors to suicide every single year. This is a subject matter that, unfortunately, needs to be widely discussed to help change a system that is undoubtedly broken. This book is one wife’s story about love, physician suicide, and finding comfort and purpose in the aftermath.

The Review

This was an authentic and heartbreaking read. The author brilliantly blended original writing with her personal journal entries to make the experiences and life of their family feel more connective and relatable. The detail the author gave of the life that she and her husband built together, from the moment they met to the tragedy that would befall them decades later, allowed the reader to visualize and become immersed in their story.

Yet it was the emotional and heartbreaking experiences of the author’s life and the loss of her husband that made the reader feel that sense of loss and confusion, something the author illustrated expertly through her writing. The shocking realities of what physicians go through and the rate at which they take their own lives are surprising, and the research the author presented in the wake of her own husband’s battle with depression was thoughtful yet saddening. The mixture of faith and resilience the author leaned upon allowed the reader to vividly feel the heart of the author’s struggles. 

The Verdict

Tragic, engaging, and thought-provoking author Betsy Gall’s “The Illusion of the Perfect Profession” is a must-read nonfiction book that readers cannot put down. The emotional connection between the author and her story, as well as the realities of depression and suicide and the suddenness of it all, made this a compelling book to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

Betsy Gall and her three children, Grady, Gavin, Sophie, and their dog Liberty, split their time between Charlotte, NorthCarolina, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she focuses on faith, family, and friends. In addition, Betsy is an active real estate agent, investor, landlord, and habitual remodeler.Betsy is speaking all over the country about physician suicide after her oncologist husband, Dr. Matthew Gall, tragically and unexpectedly took his own life on ThanksgivingDay in 2019.In her spare time, Betsy loves to downhill ski, spend time at her lake home, and exercise. In addition, she continues to giveback to Angel Foundation and the Dr. Lorna Breen Foundation.