For busy physicians, reading fiction can feel like a luxury. But before you pass up a novel in favor of medical literature, consider: Reading fiction could make you a better doctor. 

Jennifer Chung, MD, internist and functional and lifestyle medicine physician of Richmond, Virginia, says this assertion has definitely been true for her. As well as helping her “decompress and unwind at the end of the day,” she says, a good story has sharpened her emotional intelligence as a physician. “[Fiction] has allowed me to witness human suffering, as well as love, perseverance, and resilience, through a different lens than my own.”

It’s a concept backed by science. Numerous studies highlight the mental and emotional health benefits of reading and especially reading fiction. People who read fiction most often showed the strongest social cognition in a study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, as fiction appears to exercise the default network of the brain, where we simulate hypothetical scenes and mental states.

In medical practice, this can translate to valuable qualities like empathy, says David Tzall, PsyD, therapist in Brooklyn, New York. “Empathy increases from reading fiction because we do more than just process words. Reading simulates the experiences of the characters and setting in our own minds. We live through the characters, and we go through their pain, joy, and sorrow.”

Similarly, Tzall says, navigating characters’ worlds strengthens the neural networks involved in real-world social interactions. “Neuroplasticity is engaged by reading. Reading a gripping novel can cause measurable changes in brain connectivity, [which] actually makes us ‘smarter’ by changing the structure of the brain and how information is processed and stored.”

This stretching and flexing of the brain can have direct benefits for clinical work. “It helps doctors understand their patients’ emotional and social experience of illness,” Tzall says. “People deal with more than just symptoms. Connecting with patients in this way helps doctors better treat and individualize care.”

There’s no particular type of fiction that’s best. Immersing yourself in any compelling story can have these effects. Here are six books that physicians say have shaped their work in positive ways.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Nikki Erlick’s 2022 novel The Measure explores what would happen if people knew exactly how long they had to live. “Every person over the age of 21 across the world wakes up one day to find a box with a string on their front porch,” explains Sarah Kelley, MD, a pediatrician with Shoals Pediatric Group in Florence, Alabama. “At first, no one knows what the string represents, but it quickly becomes clear that the length of the string correlates with how long you have left to live.” People with short strings often try to squeeze every moment out of life, sometimes with disastrous consequences for themselves and others.

Kelley says the book prompted her to consider the balance we all face between enjoying indulgences and making healthy lifestyle choices. Meanwhile, The Measure shaped her thinking about knowledge-based metrics like genetic testing. “[It] parallels why we don’t do certain genetic testing, like BRCA, in children,” she says. “We want patients to fully understand the implications before receiving results. Knowledge is a gift, but it can also be a heavy burden.”

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Chung says one novel stands out for its impact on her practice: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (himself a former physician). The novel follows two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, who are married to the same abusive man. Despite different socioeconomic circumstances, the women develop an unlikely friendship.

“Beyond this powerful central narrative, the novel weaves together layers of human suffering and injustice that are still relevant today, such as the marginalization of women and people of lower socioeconomic status, physical and sexual abuse, poverty, and war,” Chung says.

These themes often run deep in doctoring. “Many patients, particularly immigrants and individuals from nonmajority ethnic groups, carry an immense burden of suffering, whether it be from childhood trauma, poverty, marginalization, or abuse,” Chung says. By immersing herself in Mariam’s and Laila’s story, she’s been reminded that there’s often more to a patient’s story than what is initially shared and that listening well is key for compassionate, informed care.

Favorite line: “The years had not been kind to Mariam. But perhaps, she thought, there were kinder years waiting still. A new life, a life in which she would find the blessings that Nana had said a harami like her would never see.”

My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

You might not want to emulate the medical practices of centuries past, but emulating characters from history is well worth considering. Orange County, California-based gynecologist David Ghozland, MD, says he’s found inspiration in the protagonist of the historical novel My Name Is Mary Sutter.

Mary is a midwife who fights her way into surgical practice during the Civil War. “What captures me is Mary herself,” he says. “She’s everything a great doctor should be: She’s exceptionally skilled, she’s determined, she’s passionate, and most important, she’s able to stay human in the chaos of a field hospital at that time of war.”

Ghozland says Mary’s human touch grounds him. “I believe that a successful outcome isn’t just a healed incision; it is a patient who feels seen, heard, and supported through their entire recovery,” he says.

Additionally, witnessing Mary’s fight for inclusion is a call for gender equality in medicine. “I especially recommend it to male physicians in women’s health because Mary’s experience as a woman in a male-dominated field gives perspective that’s hard to get otherwise.”

Favorite line: “When that boy had died, flailing, disoriented, shouting, reliving the battle, the blood arcing everywhere, Mary had thought to kneel by the boy’s side and to sing. To sing! The boy had died to the unsteady voice of a tone-deaf, blood-covered angel.”

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Novels don’t have to be esoteric or intellectual to be worth your time. Liz Daniels, DO, RD, FAAP, pediatrician at Northeast Cincinnati Pediatric Associates and founder of New Story Nutrition, says the book that’s made her a better clinician is the childhood classic Anne of Green Gables.

Orphan Anne Shirley’s struggles and triumphs in turn-of-the-century Prince Edward Island have stayed with Daniels since her first reading. “I was inspired by her as a child, but later, while in medical school, I found myself needing to channel my inner Anne at times,” she says. “She fought to be fully understood for her values and was deeply attuned to people who were overlooked, shamed, or unappreciated. Her commitment to justice and compassion — especially for children — resonated deeply with me.”

These days, Daniels says she strives to bring Anne’s energy into the exam room as she sees young patients. “Anne believes children are ‘full people’ who deserve dignity, respect, and appreciation. That perspective aligns closely with my work as a pediatrician.”

Favorite line: “‘Dear old world,’ she murmured, ‘you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.’”

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Science and medicine go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that sci-fi is a favorite genre for many physicians. Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian novel Never Let Me Go is a thought-provoking favorite for general surgeon Ali Cadili, MD, of WVU Medicine in Keyser, West Virginia. It’s the story of children growing up at what appears to be a posh British boarding school. The twist? The students are being raised as clones for organ donation to “normal” children.

Cadili says the book has honed his responsiveness to ethical questions in medicine. “Ishiguro’s work deepened my sensitivity to personhood and autonomy, reminding me not to let protocols turn people into procedures,” he says. Reflecting on this makes him a clearer communicator at the bedside.

“From Never Let Me Go, I learned to slow consent conversations, use plain language for risks and uncertainties, and explicitly affirm that the decision is the patient’s, not the system’s or mine.” As a result, he says he and his patients have made more aligned decisions for fewer post-surgical regrets.

Favorite line: “Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly.”

Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie

When you think of Agatha Christie, you probably think of Poirot and Miss Marple. But general practitioner Lucy Hooper, MBBS, BSc, MA, MRCGP, DRCOG, DCH of Coyne Medical in London, England, says a lesser-known Christie protagonist is an even stronger muse for medical sleuthing. In a collection of short stories, investigator Parker Pyne, “detective of the heart,” helps unhappy people mend relationships and find love.

For Pyne, solving clients’ problems doesn’t require external clues like footprints or alibis, Hooper says. Instead, Pyne is guided by a deep understanding of human nature and what happiness really means. “Reading it as a doctor, I was struck by how familiar this felt. Patients rarely reveal the deeper cause of their problem in the first sentence or even in the first consultation,” she says.

In her practice, she seeks to understand symptoms as part of a wider story. This involves looking beyond face-value statements to what lies beneath, be it physiology and genetics or lived experience and environment, she says.

It has reminded her, too, that the pursuit of happiness matters for her patients. “Even the most technical consultations…are incomplete without understanding the individual in front of you — their values, priorities, and what being happy would actually look like for them,” she says.

Favorite line: “Could it be so? Was this nonsense, or could it, perhaps, be true? Mrs Packington gazed at him hopefully.”

Create Your Invitation

Reading fiction has plenty to offer for physicians, but if you struggle to make it a priority, Tzall offers a tip. Create an “invitation” to read by placing a book within reach on your nightstand, he suggests. “Even 10-15 minutes before sleep can be a powerful way to decompress and signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down,” he says.

Recognize, too, that reading offers a helpful pivot for your brain after a day of medical practice. After caring for others all day, try switching gears and letting a novel take you somewhere completely new. Your patients might thank you.