Anatomy by Dana Schwartz Summary

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz is a young adult gothic romance set in 1817 Edinburgh, Scotland, following Hazel Sinnett, a 17-year-old aspiring surgeon who must defy gender norms to pursue her medical dreams. To study anatomy in secret, Hazel partners with Jack Currer, a handsome grave-snatcher, while uncovering a sinister conspiracy involving missing townspeople and unethical medical experiments. The novel combines historical fiction with romance, ambition, and dark medical intrigue.

Dana Schwartz is a bestselling American author, journalist, and podcast creator born in 1993. She graduated from Brown University and is the creator and host of the popular history podcast Noble Blood. Schwartz has written five books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Anatomy: A Love Story and its sequel Immortality: A Love Story, which have been published in over 20 countries. She has also written for Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair.

Anatomy: A Love Story is ideal for young adult readers who enjoy gothic romance, historical fiction, and stories about determined heroines breaking societal barriers. Fans of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, medical history, and Regency-era settings will appreciate Dana Schwartz's dark atmospheric tale. The book appeals to readers interested in feminism, science, and romance intertwined with suspense, particularly those who love strong female protagonists pursuing unconventional dreams despite overwhelming obstacles.

Anatomy: A Love Story earned its #1 New York Times bestseller status through compelling storytelling that balances romance, feminist themes, and gothic suspense. Dana Schwartz creates an atmospheric historical setting while addressing timeless issues of gender inequality and ambition. The novel offers both an inspiring protagonist in Hazel Sinnett and an engaging plot involving grave-robbing, medical mysteries, and forbidden love, making it a worthwhile read for those seeking substance beyond typical YA romance.

The central theme of Anatomy: A Love Story is a woman's determination to pursue her passion despite restrictive gender norms. Dana Schwartz explores how Hazel Sinnett battles 19th-century sexism that confined women to domestic roles rather than professional careers like medicine. The novel celebrates ambition, self-determination, and challenging societal expectations, emphasizing that Hazel's primary love story is with anatomy itself and her dream of becoming a surgeon, not just the romantic subplot.

Anatomy: A Love Story is the first book in The Anatomy Duology by Dana Schwartz. The series continues with Immortality: A Love Story, published in early 2023, which follows the characters and expands on the gothic medical world established in the first novel. Both books are set in Regency-era Edinburgh and explore themes of science, mortality, and forbidden knowledge. Readers should read Anatomy first to fully appreciate the storyline and character development.

Anatomy: A Love Story takes place in 1817 Edinburgh, Scotland, during the Regency era when medical education was rapidly advancing but strictly forbidden to women. Dana Schwartz chose this period to highlight the real historical practice of grave-robbing, which supplied bodies to anatomy schools before legal donation systems existed. The setting also reflects the era's rigid gender roles and the emergence of modern surgical techniques, creating an authentic backdrop for Hazel's struggles.

Hazel Sinnett is the 17-year-old protagonist of Anatomy: A Love Story who dreams of becoming a surgeon despite societal expectations that she marry her cousin Bernard, the future Viscount Almont. Jack Currer is the charming resurrection man (grave-snatcher) who supplies Hazel with corpses for study, and the two develop romantic feelings. Dr. Beecham serves as Hazel's anatomy instructor and the story's antagonist, harboring dark secrets. Bernard represents the traditional path Hazel must reject.

The Roman fever in Anatomy: A Love Story is a deadly disease spreading through Edinburgh's population, causing mass deaths among the poor. Dana Schwartz uses this epidemic to create urgency and highlight class disparities in medical care. Hazel discovers that wort flower, a folk remedy, shows promising results in treating Roman fever patients. The disease serves as both a plot device and social commentary on how poverty and lack of access to proper medical treatment disproportionately affected lower classes.

Anatomy: A Love Story confronts 19th-century gender inequality by showing Hazel Sinnett forced to disguise herself as a man to attend anatomy lectures until she's exposed and banned. Dana Schwartz illustrates how women were systematically excluded from medical education and professional opportunities, with Hazel's family expecting her only to marry and procreate. Despite Dr. Beecham allowing her to take the physician's exam, she faces constant obstacles, demonstrating the courage required to challenge deeply entrenched sexist systems.

Grave-robbing is central to Anatomy: A Love Story as the primary method for obtaining cadavers for medical study in 19th-century Edinburgh. Hazel partners with resurrection man Jack Currer to illegally procure corpses because she cannot access legal specimens while barred from formal education. Dana Schwartz accurately depicts the historical reality of body-snatching that supplied anatomy schools before modern donation laws. This morally ambiguous practice forces Hazel to weigh her dreams against ethical boundaries.

Anatomy: A Love Story has a bittersweet ending where Hazel saves Jack from execution by giving him Dr. Beecham's immortality tonic, allowing him to survive hanging. However, Jack becomes a fugitive and must flee, leaving Hazel behind to continue treating patients from her home while he disappears to New York. The book concludes with Hazel receiving a letter from Jack expressing his continued love and waiting for her, leaving their reunion uncertain but hopeful as setup for the sequel, Immortality: A Love Story.