Cutting for Stone

I have to admit that I resisted reading this novel, despite all the great things I heard about it. It got great press, it was on the best seller list, I had friends recommend it... but I thought it would be depressing. I figured it was just another Kite Runner or Slum Dog Millionaire, and I just wasn't in the mood. I am glad to say that I was wrong.

Verghese writes an epic novel, ranging from 1940's India and Africa to present day America. It's the story of Marion and Shiva Stone, identical twins born to Carmelite nun Sister Mary Joseph Praise (the best name for a nun EVER) at Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa in 1954. Marion narrates the story of himself and his brother, their parents Hema and Ghosh, and their extended family and friends, as they grow up to be doctors. There are of course twists and turns and troubles along the way, that make for a real page-turning read.

Verghese is both a writer and an actual doctor, and he has a lot of medical detail in the novel. I thought at first that I'd skip over that, but it isn't overwhelming, and it really does serve to move the story forward. Verghese also has a way of bringing characters to life, so I felt I knew a lot about even some of the more minor characters, and I really felt that I knew Marion, Shiva, Hema, and Ghosh.

I'm really glad I read this novel, in fact it was hard to put down almost from the first page. I highly recommend it.

Cutting for Stone