WORCESTER—Over her many years as a veterinarian, Karen Fine, DVM, has seen a lot of human suffering, especially around the loss of a beloved pet. She surmised that many feel isolated in the depth of their grief, and wonder if that’s normal. She wanted to address that, and did so with “The Other Family Doctor.”
“I wanted to write to this [subject] by sharing the story of how I reacted when my own beloved dog was diagnosed with cancer at a young age,” Fine told the Worcester Guardian. “I also had a lot of funny and heartwarming stories to share, and I wanted to let people know what veterinary medicine is really like. So I had a few different things in mind.”
As part of its author series, the Jewish Community Center (JCC) is hosting a talk and book signing with Fine this weekend. The must-read New York Times bestseller, and her lecture, explores the unique role pets play in their humans’ lives and is a tribute to our furry, feathery, scaly, and wet family members.
Fine said she doesn’t journal regularly, and had written a few articles over the years, but “nothing like the memoir.” Ideas for the book floating around in the back of her mind for many years, and once she started putting pen to paper, it “felt like the material came out of me like a hairball that had been stuck for some time.”
“I enjoyed the writing and it did feel like it came naturally,” she said. “I also enjoyed the editing and choosing the exact word for what I was trying to say. What I found more challenging was organizing the material, and figuring out which stories were simply too sad to include. The book went through many, many drafts.”
She considers this her first “real” book, though she did author a textbook during Covid that was published before the memoir. The textbook focused on narrative medicine, which is a human medicine approach that involves considering a patient’s story as a way of best diagnosing and treating medical issues.
Fine said at author events such as the upcoming event at the JCC she typically discusses the book, and reads excerpts depending on the time. Most importantly, people tend to have questions, so there is always a Q&A component.
When Fine got the news that her memoir made the New York Times bestseller list, her reaction was nothing short of shock.
“It was amazing,” said Fine. “My publicist managed to get me on NPR’s Fresh Air, which aired the day before the book was released. A few days later I got a call from my agent; a CNN editor had heard the Fresh Air story and wanted me to be interviewed that day on CNN.”
The wave of publicity, she thinks, helped her book debut at number 13 on the NYT list the first week of publication.
“It was seven books down from Michelle Obama’s!” Fine cracked. “I found out because I got a call from my editor, which was unusual. She had just found out because the list releases to publishing insiders I think an hour or so before it goes live. She said all the background noise [while on the phone] was her devices lighting up with congratulations from everyone else on the team and her colleagues at Penguin Random House. It was a big deal for everyone involved, which was amazing. Due to Covid, I hadn’t met any of the people in person, including my editor, agent, or publicist, but publishing a book is truly a team effort.”
Fine is currently in private practice and also works part time at Central Animal Hospital in Leominster and Riverlin Animal Hospital in Millbury. The best part about being a veterinarian, for her, is getting an inside look at the unique relationships between people and their animals, and becoming part of their stories.
“Also, puppies and kittens!” she added. “It’s both an intellectual job and extremely down-to-earth, which is great. The worst part is giving people bad news. That does not get easier. Neither does seeing people in the depth of grief when their animals are sick or dying. On a non-emotional side, the job is physically demanding, which is becoming harder as I get older.”
Fine appears at the JCC, Temple Emanuel Sinai, 661 Salisbury St. on Sunday, June 9, at 10 a.m. RSVP here.
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