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A review by okiecozyreader
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I wasn’t sure if this would be a book for me. I probably tend to like books around 350 pages and I don’t always love literary books, even when they have beautiful storytelling.
However, Covenant of Water drew me right in. I decided to read one part a day for ten days, which was about 70 pages a day (some a little more, some less). But each section was almost like it’s own novella, and I knew they would each connect to others and I was curious how they would do so. The chapters within the sections are mostly short and move quickly (but some are longer). Most of the parts surprised me how quickly I got through them and how much I enjoyed reading about this family. The last few parts had twists that I didn’t see coming for sure.
Verghese puts his medical knowledge to work in these pages. Many scenes and parts deal with medicine - both conditions people have and a few characters who feel called to practice medicine. So we go to the surgery table with them, and the book puts us in the heads of those who are physicians.
Most of the book is about the matriarch of the family, Big Ammachi - how she comes to be married in Parambil, and a couple generations after her, with all of their ups and downs of life. One of my favorite things about this book was the kindness and goodness of many of the characters. There really aren’t many evil characters in this book, they are all just flawed people, who make mistakes and have some repercussions from them. They also show us how life does go on past those moments where we think we have ruined our lives, and there is yet so much to come.
I enjoyed oprahsbookclub Instagram posts about each part and I also watched the Super Soul Sunday “podcast” episodes on YouTube. They are worth watching. The editors pull things they talk about (like art or other books) which is nice to see (opposed to just listening). How amazing to get to listen to Oprah’s conversations with Verghese.
I loved so many things about the podcast but a couple of my favorites… AV talks about how he keeps a few rare diseases in his back pocket to ask questions for his residents. (14:25 episode 2)
Silence and the role silence plays - neither of them speak… something beautiful about the space between raindrops, the space between words, …they don’t need to be said, they just need to be experienced (16:00, episode 4)
“There’s nothing you have to do. Don’t worry. It’ll all unfold in its own time.” P32
“The best possible operation is not the same as the best operation possible.” P114
“You won’t make my mistake, will you? …
The mistake… of choosing to see more in your future mate than the evidence has already suggested.” P133
“Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth about how the world lives!” P235
“Before we treat the flesh, we must acknowledge the greater wound, the one to the spirit.” P255
“A fantasy far from its source is hard to sustain, just as winning the lottery doesn’t bring happiness forever.” P305
“Success is not money! Success is you are fully loving what you are doing. That only is success!” P319
“What you see as being generous or as being exploitation has everything to do with who you’re giving it to.” P487
“She had learned a lesson: to show weakness, to be tearful or shattered didn’t serve her. One shouldn’t just hope to be treated well: one must insist on it.” P547
“We don’t have children to fulfill our dreams. Children allow us to let go of the dreams we were never meant to fulfill.” P590
“Every family has secrets, but not all secrets are meant to deceive. What defines a family is not blood, molay, but the secrets they share.” P620
“He knew a simple truth: there was never anything healing one could say. One could only be. The best friends in such times were those who had no agenda other than to be present, to offer themselves…” p677
However, Covenant of Water drew me right in. I decided to read one part a day for ten days, which was about 70 pages a day (some a little more, some less). But each section was almost like it’s own novella, and I knew they would each connect to others and I was curious how they would do so. The chapters within the sections are mostly short and move quickly (but some are longer). Most of the parts surprised me how quickly I got through them and how much I enjoyed reading about this family. The last few parts had twists that I didn’t see coming for sure.
Verghese puts his medical knowledge to work in these pages. Many scenes and parts deal with medicine - both conditions people have and a few characters who feel called to practice medicine. So we go to the surgery table with them, and the book puts us in the heads of those who are physicians.
Most of the book is about the matriarch of the family, Big Ammachi - how she comes to be married in Parambil, and a couple generations after her, with all of their ups and downs of life. One of my favorite things about this book was the kindness and goodness of many of the characters. There really aren’t many evil characters in this book, they are all just flawed people, who make mistakes and have some repercussions from them. They also show us how life does go on past those moments where we think we have ruined our lives, and there is yet so much to come.
I enjoyed oprahsbookclub Instagram posts about each part and I also watched the Super Soul Sunday “podcast” episodes on YouTube. They are worth watching. The editors pull things they talk about (like art or other books) which is nice to see (opposed to just listening). How amazing to get to listen to Oprah’s conversations with Verghese.
I loved so many things about the podcast but a couple of my favorites… AV talks about how he keeps a few rare diseases in his back pocket to ask questions for his residents. (14:25 episode 2)
Silence and the role silence plays - neither of them speak… something beautiful about the space between raindrops, the space between words, …they don’t need to be said, they just need to be experienced (16:00, episode 4)
“There’s nothing you have to do. Don’t worry. It’ll all unfold in its own time.” P32
“The best possible operation is not the same as the best operation possible.” P114
“You won’t make my mistake, will you? …
The mistake… of choosing to see more in your future mate than the evidence has already suggested.” P133
“Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth about how the world lives!” P235
“Before we treat the flesh, we must acknowledge the greater wound, the one to the spirit.” P255
“A fantasy far from its source is hard to sustain, just as winning the lottery doesn’t bring happiness forever.” P305
“Success is not money! Success is you are fully loving what you are doing. That only is success!” P319
“What you see as being generous or as being exploitation has everything to do with who you’re giving it to.” P487
“She had learned a lesson: to show weakness, to be tearful or shattered didn’t serve her. One shouldn’t just hope to be treated well: one must insist on it.” P547
“We don’t have children to fulfill our dreams. Children allow us to let go of the dreams we were never meant to fulfill.” P590
“Every family has secrets, but not all secrets are meant to deceive. What defines a family is not blood, molay, but the secrets they share.” P620
“He knew a simple truth: there was never anything healing one could say. One could only be. The best friends in such times were those who had no agenda other than to be present, to offer themselves…” p677
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Medical trauma, Child death, Addiction, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, and Mental illness