Abraham Verghese’s previous book, Cutting For Stone, is by far my favourite book that my book group has read over it’s twenty years and so I was very excited for this long awaited new novel.
At over 31 hours the audiobook is very long, but at no point during the listen was I bored, and now that it’s over I feel bereft and wish it had gone on longer.
The story follows three generations of a family in India from the time of the second world war until recent times. The family tree shows a curse of death by drowning and much of the story’s tragedy and triumph revolves around this curse. I loved everything about this book, from the narration by the author, through the beautiful use of language evoking rural Indian life and bringing it alive, the well rounded and fleshed out characters, the heart-wrenching sadnesses and redemptive journeys.
Like Cutting For Stone, the book contains a lot of medical and surgical detail, which I found very interesting and nail-bitingly tense at times. I also loved the use of artistic skill as a form of expression and healing – writing, drawing, sculpture. I liked the strong female characters in what could have been a male dominated world.
Basically, I thought this book was just fabulous and about as perfect as a novel can be.
Sarah Wray Writer 