COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | The Road to Madhapur

Written by a New Zealand family doctor, David Whittet’s heart- wrenching novel will captivate lovers of true-to-life medical stories.

‘You will never make a doctor.’

The professor’s harsh words threaten to end Theo Malone’s medical career before he sees his first patient. The idealistic Kiwi is determined to prove the professor wrong—until the death of a child from meningitis during a student assignment in Uganda shatters his confidence.

Australian teenager Elisha is furious when her missionary father announces he’s taking the entire family on his next campaign in India. Anger turns to despair after her mother dies from AIDS following a needlestick injury at a local Indian hospital.

Qualified at last, Theo’s in trouble for trying to take vital medicines into a developing country. Disillusioned, he leaves New Zealand for voluntary work overseas. By chance, the medical agency sends him to India. His feet scarcely touch the ground in Madhapur before his life-saving drugs rescue an Indian girl Elisha has befriended.

Opposition to western medicine and growing political tension threaten Theo’s determination to make a difference in this impoverished community. His forthright approach creates enemies. Will his immunisation campaign force a backlash from the authorities? Can his love for Elisha survive an unspeakable tragedy following a brutal mob attack?

From rural New Zealand to the plains of India, The Road to Madhapur takes readers on an unforgettable journey through love and grief to redemption and fulfilment.

About the author:

David Whittet is a family doctor, an independent filmmaker and author.

Medicine is a constant source of inspiration for David’s writing. Like writing, general practice is about being interested in people’s stories. The Road to Madhapur draws on David’s personal experience of family medicine in both New Zealand and India. While the novel is a work of fiction, his first-hand knowledge of medicine in the raw, together with many real-life events, helped shape the story.

Storytelling has been in David’s DNA since childhood. A dramatisation of Oliver Twist on television profoundly affected him as a child. In its day, Dickens’ novel brought reform to the poor law, which convinced David of the written word’s potential to change the world. He decided then that he wanted to be a writer. Subsequently, A J Cronin’s novels inspired David to become a doctor, especially The Citadel, which pre-empted the National Health Service’s foundation in the UK and beyond.

David’s work as a GP brings authenticity and gritty realism to his writing. IndieReader described his debut novel Gang Girl as ‘a memorable tale filled with drama, conflict and intrigue … deftly painted characters, multilayered, and unique … an extraordinary read.’

The Road to Madhapur is equally full of drama and intrigue. David’s time in India was during a period of growing political tension following the murder of an Australian missionary. The unrest underpins Theo and Elisha’s passage through the story. A rollercoaster of emotion for an idealistic Kiwi doctor and a headstrong preacher’s daughter whose lives collide on the road to Madhapur.

Indeed, the colourful cast of characters David has met throughout his career––colleagues and patients alike––breathe life into his writing.

To read an article David has written for GrownUps, click here

Terms and conditions

1. 1. You must be a GrownUps member and receive our newsletter to be eligible to win.
   2. Competition closes on the 1st November 2022, winners will be notified via email by 3rd November 2022.
   3. It is your responsibility to ensure you correctly enter a New Zealand postal address where the prize can be couriered. GrownUps will not take responsibility for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
   4. Winners are drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
   5. GrownUps employees and family are not eligible to enter.
   6. By entering the giveaway, you approve for GrownUps to use your name on social media as winner of the competition.
   7. One entry per person.
   8. Prize is non transferrable.
   9. You must reside in New Zealand – the prize will only be posted within New Zealand.
   10. You must be over 50 years of age to enter, check your details are correct in your membership dashboard.