Abraham Verghese is one of my favorite writers. It is important to note though that he is first and foremost a doctor. Because of his commitment to medicine, he has only written 4 books--as he only writes in his spare time. Not sure if anyone remembers but way back in 1995 when I was a RTC student at Connecticut College, Verghese's first book, a memoir, was the summer required reading. It was called
My Own Country and Verghese actually came to the college to speak about his book and the stigma associated with the AID virus. At the time, Verghese was an infectious disease doctor in Johnson City, Tennessee and worked with some of the first AIDS patients. His humanity and compassion for his patients still lingers in my memory thirty years later. He also wrote
The Tennis Partner and one of my all time favorite books
Cutting For Stone way back in 2009. I've been waiting patiently.....(14 Years) for a new book and it was finally released on May 2, 2023. It's called
The Covenant of Water and it was incredible. This epic spans three generations and is set in Kerala, South India on the Malabar Coast between 1900-1977. As the story unfolds, a marriage broker has just arranged a marriage between a 12 year old girl and a 40 year old widower with a two year old son named JoJo. The young girl leaves her family to live on a 500 acre farm called Parambil. The family she marries into has a secret called "The Condition". Someone from each generation dies by drowning. The young girl eventually becomes the matriarch of the family and is known as Big Ammachi. This is a beautifully written novel, with so many interesting characters AND an ending I will never forget AND didn't see coming. It is also rich in historical details including British colonization, WWII, Independence in India, and the dreaded caste system. Remember Verghese is a doctor so the novel also tackles the development of medicine in India. Again, this novel is about so many things--family, love, loss, addiction, that Verghese somehow weaves together in a novel you will never forget. It is a commitment though--760 pages--BUT who cares. I could read his novels forever. Happy Reading.
