THE COVENANT OF WATER
by Abraham Verghese
When you genuinely loved an author’s first novel, as I did Cutting for Stone, and you wait 14 years for a second novel, expectations can run high. When I heard that Abraham Verghese had finally brought out his second novel, I immediately bought it and started to read. At 715 pages, I had no misgivings about its length because I just knew it was going to be great. Oprah had already chosen it for her bookclub! Nearly three weeks later, I limped across the finish line and am still trying to figure out why.
The Covenant of Water sets out a gorgeous story of three generations of a family in rural, South India from 1900 to 1977. Verghese starts with an India where 12-year-old girls are married off to older men, a small British ruling class governs millions of Indians and even Indian families practice a form of indentured servitude. Within this setting, we find that although the family is blessed with wealth and status, over the generations multiple family members have mysteriously drowned.
Concurrently, Verghese tells the story of a Scottish doctor who comes to this part of India to hone his surgical skills. He becomes renowned and is considered a savior by many Indians. But even his successes can’t prevent him from experiencing the horrible death of the woman he loves. He eventually has a religious conversion and devotes himself to treating patients in a leprosarium. It is in the third generation of the Indian family that the daughter becomes a doctor and determines that she will uncover the medical explanation for the drownings in her family. This is where the two formerly parallel stories intersect. Verghese’s writing is lovely and replete with charming touches, such as the elephant Damo who routinely visits the family compound.
I still can’t pinpoint what it is about the book that instead of drawing me in, made it feel like a chore to read. Is it too long? Are there too many characters and not enough development to make them empathetic? When I think about atmospheric (and very long) books about India, I think of Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (read review here). And I think that is a far more powerful novel. And if asked to name a book that strongly connects the theme of water to the characters’ lives, I think of The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (read review here). I would love to hear what others think about The Covenant of Water. (Liz)
A SECOND HELPING
This long-awaited book was a bit of a disappointment for my mom, and although I agree with her that it could definitely have used some editing both for length and momentum, I really enjoyed The Covenant of Water. The story fascinated me and Verghese did a wonderful job spinning out the mysteries and connections, almost always earning his payoffs. This was a book I was constantly trying to sneak in just five more minutes to read during the day, and I highly recommend it. (Lily)
