The Covenant of Water: An Oprah’s Book Club Selection Paperback – 7 Mar. 2024

Abraham Veronese’s wonderful epic novel set almost exclusively in India, with fascinating characters, beautifully written, sparking your imagination of times past. It is a book that will stir your emotions, full of love and tragedy, joy and despair, with a great twist near the end. Definitely joins my top books and highly recommended.

Fantastic multi layer tale of generations and settings mainly in India. Engaging characters, understated writing style, intriguing so you just want to see what happens to them all!Long book, 800 or so pages, but one of the best reads in years!

The Covenant of Water spans across three generations and across two continents, a sprawling epic. However, it all starts when twelve year old Mariamma is betrothed and journeys with her husband to her new home of Parambil. Over the years she will become known as Big Ammachi, the much respected matriarch of the family, and will suffer joys and heartache in turn. In particular, she will learn of the Condition that afflicts members of the family, whereby in each generation at least one person dies by drowning. Interspersed with the story of the family at Parambil, is also the story of Dr Digby Kilgour, who travels from Scotland to India, to work as a medic.At over 700 pages long, there is no doubt that The Covenant of Water is not an easy undertaking, however, I had heard a lot of praise being bestowed upon it, and as such decided to give it a go. Certainly I was left in no doubt that Verghese is a talented author, for this is a novel of epic scope, and yet also minute detail. Furthermore, whilst I have to admit that there were certain parts of the story where I found my attention waning, for the most part he managed to not only keep my interest, but have me very much invested in the characters involved.First and foremost, I have to commend the author for the brilliant and vivid way he brings India to life, the sights and smells and colours, the culture and way of life, which also changes vastly across the expanse of the story. We start with a girl of twelve being married off to a widower of forty, her entire life mapped out before her, yet we end with a different Mariamma, her granddaughter, practicing medicine as a surgeon, a young woman with a career. We also see India gain its independence across the span of the novel, with the social and political changes that followed.Verghese is a physician, as well as an author, and his passion for medicine was clear to see in this novel. Perhaps there might have been too much detail at times, however, I for one, was intrigued with the chapters told from Digby's point of view as he adjusts to life as a surgeon in India, with the diseases often having been left untreated for so long and presenting much more advanced. Another character in the story suffers from the debilitating effects of congenital hypothyroidism, with stunted growth and neurological impairment, something rarely seen in the UK, due to neonatal screening and easy treatment with hormone replacement. Then there is the focus on patients suffering from leprosy, and of course the mysterious Condition that affects the Parambil family, and later we follow the young Mariamma as she goes through medical school and training.More than anything though this is a family saga, with Big Ammachi the beating heart of the story. The first part that focuses on her marriage, and early days at Parambil as a child bride draw you into the story straight away and make you fall in love with her character. Furthermore, as we follow her through the years, becoming a mother, and later a grandmother, her resilience and goodness always shines through. However, it is not just Big Ammachi who is well drawn here, but a myriad of characters. Digby, in particular, stands out, perhaps because next to Big Ammachi he is the character we follow for the longest time. From his early troubled days in Glasgow, to his days as an eager but naive young surgeon, we are there at his lowest ebbs and watch as he rises to meet the challenges life throws at him, to become a dedicated and wise old man.Other characters that particularly stood out for me were Philipose, who though not always likeable, had such an exuberance to him, and even when I didn't necessarily like him, I felt as though I understood him, his insecurities that led to certain actions. Furthermore, I enjoyed his character arc and his redemption. Elsie too stood out, and was so tragically drawn in the end. Shamuel was another personal favourite, as was Rune and Baby Mol. I will say that for some reason I never connected quite as well with the youngest generation, Lenin and the young Mariamma, and for me their parts of the story, up until the very end, were the parts that perhaps dragged out. However, I suppose when you have a novel over 700 pages, that spans such a long period and has so many characters, it is hard to be quite as invested in everyone.The relationships were well depicted here too, and not always as expected. For instance Big Ammachi's relationship with her husband is ultimately one of the more contented and fulfilling ones depicted in the story, with Verghese actually showing her husband in a very honourable light, and choosing to take a very different course to what I had perhaps initially expected, and challenging stereotypes and judgments. Other relationships end far more tragically, and Philipose and Elsie's marriage in particular I thought was well depicted, for all the strains upon it, and how despite all the initial promise, they can but draw apart.Other relationships were touching too, the many friendships that are witnessed, for instance Digby and Rune, and simply the way that the characters' lives interweave together, ebbing and flowing at different times of the story. Indeed by the end this seemed like a tapestry that Verghese had woven, and I have to say I thought the ending brought all the different strands of the book together really well and in a clever and unexpected way. Yes, at times it did seem a little contrived how some of the characters' paths crossed, however, ultimately I could forgive the element of convenience that played a hand at times when considering the bigger picture.Overall, this was a story told with immense richness, a story not afraid to takes its time, a story that is informative, covering subjects such as medicine, religion, culture and social change, but most of all human emotion. Yes, the size is intimidating, and at times the vast array of characters and the jumping between them, as well as the jumping forwards in time frames can seem jarring, however it was impossible not to be impressed by this book, and get swept away to another place and time.

A real page turner..twists and turns . Oh and so much more . Characters whose lifes bring smiles and then on a turn tears. Heartbreaking moments ..death of a child, parents, grandparents, and then bits of oneself. But only bits , the essence stays. Brilliantly written with great characters. The fine descriptions of places puts the reader there with ease . Superb read

Beautifully written with a great insight into India at the time and the medical treatments available. Brilliant character development and an unexpected ending.

The first thing to know about this book is that it is long. The storyline is good enough that you will find it difficult to stop once you start. The effort and time expended are worth it. The book details the lives of three generations of an Indian family who live in the extreme South West of India. The first generation eke a living from their rural economy. Their relationship with the land, their servants and their church is detailed sensitively. The second generation emerges with the benefits of education but tragedy pursues them. Love and tragedy permeate the novel. As a physician, Verghese begins to suggest that a family horror of water is related to a rare, inherited neurological condition. The tumours which can grow near the auditory nerve account for many of the personality flaws and idiosyncrasies which are manifest in all three generations. Despite his medical experience, the theory proposed should be considered in the same category as poetic license. The book takes the reader through the emergence of an independent India and highlights the horror associated with that change. Medical care and surgery feature strongly, particularly in relation to leprosy. I found the book to be touching and the characters largely believable. The ending was not a total surprise, but there are sufficient loose ends that a follow up novel would not surprise me.

It’s a great book & a really well researched & thought out story .My only criticism is that it was a bit too long & my interest drifted a little bit until all the characters started to tie up again in the last quarter of the story

This is beautifully written and gives the reader a clear picture of south western India all those years ago. I couldn’t put it down.