The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Posted by Ms A on April 2, 2024 in All, Book Club Fodder, Grab it Now | Leave a comment

I think I injured my knee reading this book. That’s what happens when you find yourself immersed in a heavy book in the same awkward position for two hours at a stretch, especially when you are over 50.

The irony of my reading injury is that the book was recommended to me by a doctor. He described it as his favourite book of 2023 and, when I discovered that author is also a doctor and that the story is effectively a medical mystery, the fact that my doctor friend loved it made perfect sense.

The story is a multi-generational one. Set in India between the years 1900 to 1977, it follows the life of a 12-year-old girl who sets off via boat to marry a forty-year-old widower she has never met.  Without knowing, this young bride, is marrying into a family cursed by drownings (they call it “The Condition”).  She goes on to build a life with her new husband, extended family and community on their isolated property in Southern India, avoiding nearby waterways at all costs. 

Meanwhile in Glasgow, a young Catholic doctor is setting off via boat to join the Indian Medical Service, based in Madras. He is put in charge of the surgical ward for “natives”, where his first patient presents with a “scrotum ballooned beyond the size of a watermelon, now reaching the kneecaps.”  

It takes a while, but the young bride and the young surgeon’s stories ultimately intertwine as we learn more about the medical mystery of The Condition.

This is a long book that doesn’t always flow, but there are enough pockets of cracking storytelling to lock you in.  The graphic medical stories in particular (think burns, infected tropical abscesses, breech births, leprosy treatments and everything in between) will remain with me for a long time, but I also loved reading about the enormous social, economic, scientific and political changes that took place in India over this time.

So, my simple recommendation is to find a safe, comfortable position (preferably with knees elevated) and settle in.  There’s a lot to love about this beautiful book.

And that’s my 2 cents worth.