The Oasis

The Oasis

By Graeme Simsion, Anne Buist

Pages

352

Rating

4.21

Year

2026

ContemporaryFictionPsychologyMedicalMental HealthLiterary Fiction

Description

Trainee psychiatrist Doctor Hannah Wright has only just got her head above water in the acute psychiatric ward at Menzies Hospital when she's thrown into the deep end of the outpatient clinic. There, she finds herself up against a contrary boss and a senior colleague with a score to settle.

Hannah's fellow first-years face problems of their own: on-and-off flame Alex is being bullied, Ndidi's marriage is in trouble, Jon feels isolated and Carey is concerned their autism will be a career barrier.

While Hannah comes under pressure to seek therapy and confront her traumatic past, she also has to tend to her patients' health issues: from OCD to ice addiction, childhood abuse to the impact of ageing, and bad parenting to bad genes, they all have one thing in common. They come to the Oasis.

Endorsements

"Written with a healthy dose of comedy and melodrama, an inside eye on the experience of young doctors, and a compassionate lightness of touch" — THE AGE

"Eye-opening and absorbing, with a huge nod to the authors' prowess and empathy in the mental health sphere" — DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Anne Buist comes to this with real insight and wisdom" — THE AUSTRALIAN

"A grounded indictment of the mental health service in Australia" — THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY