I've been meaning to read a Bulgakov for years--and I'm quite happy to have started here. In a series of anecdotes, Bulgakov's narrator tells of what he has witnessed whilst being the sole doctor in a small village in rural Russia. My favourite aspect of this book is the doctor's relationship with his patients, all of whom are peasants, most of which are illiterate and have a drastically different culture to him, oftentimes making his job excruciatingly difficult. There is such a drastic divide between the educated and uneducated that they seem worlds apart, and I thought Bulgakov illustrated that perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed his style and voice...although I am still slightly nervous about approaching his satirical, magical realism works...but I'm sure I'll love them if my love for this is anything to go by.