'The Covenant of Water,' by Abraham Verghese

[BellyBuster]

Lots of people like this book. It's on Oprah and NY Times best lists. I'm halfway through and the book can be a bit confusing. I got to the middle of the book and started again because I couldn't understand a new character named Digby who just showed up out of nowhere. Its a long book and seems to drone on and on a bit. I like the parts that talk about life in Parambil India in the early 1900s. The author describes the setting and characters so well that I feel like I'm in the book. However when the book talks about Digby born in Scotland and who travelled to India to practice medicine, it's a bit boring.

 

[Lily27]

That sounds very interesting, I'll look it up.

 

[Lily27]

Since I'm keeping occupied, I started reading and got through about 8 chapters so far, agreed, it's immersive.

 

[BellyBuster]

Wow, that was fast. A 12-year-old marrying a 40-year-old made my skin crawl when I first started the book. But I did appreciate that they did not consummate the marriage until she was 16. I had to remind myself that is how they rolled in the 1900's. I loved the way the author described the town, the family history, religion, wounds, and baggage. My favorite part was the description of the elephant in Chapters 3 and 4 and the history of the land. I also enjoyed seeing JoJo and Mariamma's relationship unfold and how the dead mother's ghost was a presence in Mariamma's care for JoJo. I enjoyed the first 9 chapters for sure.

 

[Lily27]

I finished the book, I really loved it. It was a beautiful story, so rich in detail and characters. There was a lot of crossover, all the new characters were intertwined at some point.

 

[BellyBuster]

Me too. It was a good read. The twists and turns are surprising. It's sad that so many characters die and there is so much tragedy but its a good story because that is closer to the way real life works.