I’m struggling to find a way to succinctly summarize the scope of emotions and feelings upon finishing this masterpiece. Spanning three generations and two continents, Abraham Verghese’s long awaited follow up to #CuttingforStone was absolutely worth the wait.

The centerpiece of this sprawling book is Big Ammanchi, a woman who at the novel’s start is a young girl who has been wedded off to a forty year old widow. Ammanchi, who was inspired by Verghese’s own mother, becomes the heart of the novel and we watch as she grows from an innocent child, to grand matriarch. Early on we also learn of a curious curse that is passed on generationally that causes drowning. This becomes the through line over the next nearly eighty years, wrapping up in a way I could have never anticipated.
Here’s what to marvel at: Some of the most visual writing I’ve come across in a while, descriptive, lush and full of passages worth rereading. A trove of fantastic unforgettable characters, including a neighboring Elephant. Not just one or two, but to my count five love stories tinged with passion and at times tragedy that gutted me.
Verghese covers a lot here between generational trauma, parenting, the Caste system, Colonialism, art and science. It’s a book to be read slowly and savored like a delicious meal, which seemed to work out well for the read along group as we all uncovered this beautiful story until most of us could no longer stick to the schedule to get to the end. It’s also a treat on audio, read by Verghese with his velvety voice, who asked that he be the one to take this on.
This is a perfect example of why I personally love a long book. The investment in story and character grows that much deeper, and I personally found myself sad to be walking away from this wonderful family I’ve just spent the last three weeks with. Thanks to Grove Publishing and netgalley for the advance copy.

It’s daunting to start a big book. The Covenant of water weighs in at over 700 pages, but once I started this gorgeously written novel, it didn’t feel like it was too long. For most of the story, I didn’t want it to end.

We meet a nameless 12-year-old girl as she is heading off to marry a 40-year-old widower. She becomes part of the household in Parambil, and I became completely immersed in this little community in the south of India – the culture, the customs, the relationships among the villagers. Even some magical realism as the girl talks to ghosts, and an elephant who has adopted the village as his sometimes home. Everything centers around the child bride, who eventually becomes known as Big Amachi.

There is a second storyline, and I was just as invested in Digby’s life as I was in Big Amachi’s - I anticipated the intersection of their stories.

I don’t want to give away too much detail. In a generational saga, I guess I have to expect that the younger generation will eclipse the old. But sadly for me, just past the halfway point, when all of the characters I was so attached to were no longer around, I just didn’t care about the ones that remained. When the story became centered around the grandchildren, I should have done like Damo the elephant and disappeared into the forest. There is nothing wrong with the story that follows, it’s just that the story I cared about was finished.

I have said that the writing is gorgeous – it is. But there are also parts of this book that made me cringe a little. It must be hard for a man to write intimate thoughts of women characters. Calling breast milk “the concentrated essence of you” or saying that a woman forgives her child but doesn’t forget the pain of childbirth. And did he really have to use the word areola so many times? I am being facetious, but these examples took me out of the story and reminded me that a man was writing. I don’t like thinking about the author when I’m reading.

I still recommend this book to those who love multigenerational stories, just not as wholeheartedly as I expected to.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.

Hey, remember reading Cutting for Stone a while ago, and marveling at the wonder of Abraham Verghese and his ability to tell the long story with so much poetry and heart? And then years go by and nothing! What the heck Verghese, why have you forsaken us?

But then he goes and does this, and TOTALLY redeems himself. And also, did you know that this guy can voice act a book pretty dang well, accents and all. Some people's talent!

This story starts on the eve of a twelve year old bride's wedding. You have absolutely no idea on that quiet night of a girl being wrapped in the arms of her mother just how elaborate of a tree is about to be grown, braided branches and all. I can't summarize such a wide reaching story, all I can recommend is that you read it, and read it with care. Hunker down and dive into the lives of these characters, this family. The love and heart that you will feel will stagger you.

The Covenant of Water is simply a beautiful story! It shows the interconnectedness between people throughout generations. Just like life, it is joyful and sorrowful. I will be thinking about this one for a long time!

A masterpiece. This is why I read. Multigenerational story set in India with the rich cultures as vibrant as if I was standing in the kitchen of the characters experiencing their lives with them. The writing is lush and complex with vocabulary that suited the brilliance of the story. So much to discuss - don’t let the size intimidate you - I wish it would have continued on and on. Thanks to Grove Press for the advanced copy. Magnificent.

I made a huge mistake dnfing this book the first time. I was fresh off a 900 page book about climate change and tried to pick this up and read it. I then saw a buddy read was going to happen and I decided why not try again. I will also say that I bought the physical copy and read it. I first tried an e- arc on my Kindle. I needed the physical. We read thirty pages a day and that made such a huge difference. For me this need to be read slowly and patiently. I loved this book. A family sage spanning 70 years in India.
The story was so beautifully written. I actually didn’t find it too long in short sittings. I was sad to see it end.

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Literary Fiction | Multicultural Interest
Published; 05/02/23

A comfortable three star read. It is my experience that literary and multicultural interest together is best when I have some knowledge on the subject or area. I know very little to nothing about India including the people, culture, class hierarchy, and religious beliefs. At over 700 pages, I hoped some of these areas would be explained. I was not able to experience the empathy needed due to lack of understanding.

I did enjoy learning how people react to differences and what constitutes taboo in villages? Communities? There were medical claims, some genetic, some hereditary and some considered mystical?

There was a lot going on for many generations. Afterwards, I thought this would be a nice fall or winter book. Curl up and fix my mind on this time period. It was too heavy for me right now.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Grove Press for accepting my request to read and review The Covenant of Water.

I requested this book as background reading for a review we were planning. I think it is absolutely wonderful, and our reviewer agreed. I have and will continue to tell people about The Covenant of Water - both via BookBrowse and in-person

A beautiful story, filled with humanity, recounting the lives of several generations of South Indians in the state of Kerala over the course of the 20th century. Verghese tells this often tragic story of one extended family as they go experience traumatic deaths, drownings, triumphs, and the progress of a growing nation.

With vivid detail Verghese crafts his paean to Victorian literature, capturing every facet of his character's lives with grace; starting with the marriage of his unnamed 40 year old widow to his new (and also unnamed) 12 year old bride. Slowly, "Big Ammachi" as the bride will come to be known as, learns the secrets of the family curse of drowning that has haunted this family for generations While this specter is present throughout the book, it is not used as a boogeyman hanging over the plot, but as just one lens of observing the changing tides of rural India. As the years progress and wars, upheaval, and revolution move through India we are given glimpses in the history of this place on a micro and macro level. St. Thomas Christianity and the Malalayi language are at the forefront of this novel which gives prevalence to a small segment of people that call Kerala home and whose stories are not often told.

As the years progress, we see the countless sacrifices that people make for those they love and those they care for. The practice of medicine is highlighted throughout the novel as we see surgeons helping with distinct tropical diseases and multiple chapters highlighting life in a leprosarium and the courageous doctors who helped these patients with this highly debilitating disease that is now rarely seen. Verghese's ability to incorporate high-minded medical concepts in a simple, entertaining manner is laudable and as a healthcare worker I was obsessed with these interludes.

Highly-detailed, and quite the time investment, but certainly worth the time.

There is no doubt Verghese is a brilliant storyteller! Cutting for Stone has long been a favorite of mine and I was thrilled when I discovered he had written a new book. And once again, he has penned an epic story of love, loss and sacrifice that spans generations. I will say that it is tedious to get through all of the intensely detailed side stories that for me didn't add much to the main plot. This book would have been more enjoyable if it could have been edited down to a reasonable size instead of the 700+ pages. That being said, it is still a great read if you have the time to invest in it. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

A beautiful, heart wrenching, heart warming, multi-generational saga. Beautifully written, culturally immersive, richly developed characters that I miss after finishing the book. One of the best reads of the year so far.

Cutting for Stone has long been one of my favorite novels, and Abraham Verghese has outdone himself with The Covenant of Water. Read it slowly, absorb every word, savor the overall accomplishment, reread an occasional sentence three or four times to admire its perfection

The Covenant of Water tells the story of a multi-generational South Indian Christian family living in Parambil. It’s also the story of a variety of outsiders, including two European doctors—one from Sweden and one from Scotland—who come to India and find their lives intersecting with the locals and with each other. It’s the story of Little Ammachi who grows into Big Ammachi (the family matriarch), of JoJo, Baby Mol, Philipose, Elsie, Mariamma, Shamuel, Odat Kochamma, Uplift Master, Lenin Evermore, Dr. Digby Kilgour, Dr. Rune Orqvist, and of many others, including Damo, the elephant. It’s a story about the “condition” that results in the drowning death of one family member of each generation. It’s a story of happiness and heartbreaking personal tragedy, of love and resentment, of pride and guilt, of selflessness and selfishness, of art and storytelling. It’s the story of humanity.

Although largely chronological, the book shifts from place to place, telling the stories of a few central characters, their strengths and weaknesses, and the people among whom they live or bring into their lives, and sometimes bringing the various plotlines together. The book opens in 1900 Transvancore, South India, on the night before a twelve-year-old girl is to marry a 40-year-old widower in Parambil, leaving home behind to become step-mother to his toddler son JoJo.

Despite tragic moments that catch readers off guard, The Covenant of Water also surprised me with several laugh aloud moments, whether one liners, scenes, or chapters. Young Philipose, who has learned his English from reading Moby Dick, must explain a medical crisis to Dr, Digby Kilgour, using only vocabulary the boy has learned from the sea-faring novel. Uplift Master, who has helped Philipose learn English by assigning classic novels, is called upon to translate the sermon of a visiting Texas minister during an annual revival meeting. Shocked by what he hears, Uplift Master uses his wits, knowing neither the preacher not the audience will know the difference and making the best of an awkward situation while simultaneously continuing to uplift Parambil.

Although I received an ebook ARC, my lateness in getting to it enabled me to use an Audible credit to listen to Abraham Verghese’s expert reading. However one experiences The Covenant of Water, whether reading, listening, or listening while following along in the book as I did, the important thing is to experience it as soon as you can! That said, my method seemed perfect. The audio provided pronunciation for foreign names and vocabulary while the dictionary feature accompanying the ebook allowed me to look up many of the Malayalam words by a touch of the finger.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for the advance reader copy of this intelligent beauty of a novel. What a long film or extended series it would make!

Shared on GoodReads and Barnes and Noble

This ambitious new release spans the years 1900-1977 along the coast of South India. Going back seven generations, at least one member of the Parambil family has drowned. They have drowned in everything from a puddle to a river, despite carefully avoiding water. This book is that family's story, told slowly and without flair, offering much for the reader to chew on around family, legacy, culture, and connection.

Yes, this book is over 700 pages, and at times, I did feel the length a bit. The book opens with a powerful line: "she is twelve years old, and she will be married in the morning." I was hooked from that line and despite feeling the length, I was captiavated by this family and storytelling. Verghese artfully switches up characters and moves forward in time with ease, and much like the water at the center of this story, I found myself floating through this story without the ability to stop.

The came together in beautful and unpredicatble ways and I was unsurprised to learn that he wrote this while trying to find meaning in a world going through a pandemic.

Woooooow. I’m not even sure how to write a review of this book that would do it justice, but I’ll put it out there now that this, for me, was a masterpiece, and will probably go down as one of my all time favorite books.

Set in Kerala India, we follow generations of a family with a secret: their fear and death by drowning and every generation has at least one death by this affliction. Verghese introduces us to each family member and generation, their paths crossing with outsiders like doctors, artists and love interests.


I have so much to say and perhaps I could give myself a week to absorb what I’ve read but I will say after 700 plus pages I’m sad it’s come to an end. Like other large books before it like Love Songs of WEB Dubois or Pillars of the Earth the page count is worth it. There are not many writers who can do what Verghese has, and while he’s created an unbelievable family saga he’s weaved his knowledge of medicine in as well as created a cast of beloved characters I won’t soon forget. I finished this book with a tightness in my chest and a desire to go back and read certain parts of the book (I highlighted many passages throughout). This book is going to be one that people fear because of its size so I’ll give some tips here to conquer this aversion:
1. Start small, read maybe a few chapters a day. I honestly didn’t get hooked until about 100+ pages in but the writing was so beautiful I was happy to read a few chapters a day while reading other books
2. Alternate listening to the audiobook and reading. Verghese actually does a great job narrating. When I was doing chores or walking around Brooklyn I popped in my ear buds and listened to a few chapters
3. Find someone else who is reading the book…I had a few people pop in to my DMs after I posted I was reading the book and it was great to hear how others were absorbing the story

All that said, Oprah and I hope you’ll give this one a chance. 😉

this is one of the best books of the year. liked this author's other books, but this long book is probably his best. somehow he tried Hansen's disease into the plot, but did not realize how interwoven it was until the last few pages. absolutely loved Digby and his devotion to an Indian artist, She is the mother of a baby abondoned shortly after birth which at first seemed cruel. But facts revealed at the end of the story tells the reason why. so many wonderful characters in this book. would definitely recommend it to all my reader friends.

The Covenant of Water is a sweeping epic of love, family and medicine set in Kerala, South India. It follows three generations of family (1900-1977) seeking answers to a strange family secret that they call "the condition". In every generation at least one person dies by drowning.

The book begins in 1900 as a twelve-year-old girl prepares for her arranged marriage. She is sent by boat to meet her husband, a forty-year-old widower with a small child. This young girl, the future matriarch will be known as Big Ammachi.

From the start of this novel, you will stay entranced as author Abraham Verghese intricately weaves together a story full of seemingly unconnected people. The prose is lyrical and expressive. The characters are multi-layered and vulnerable yet resilient. The book weighs in at over 700 pages. I could not devour this book fast enough and the time flew by. I am seriously sad that the book is finished. I don't want to say goodbye to these characters that now feel like family. This is a story that the reader will remember long after the last page. Verghese is a master storyteller and this book, published 15 years after his bestselling Cutting for Stone, is worth the wait.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy, it was a privilege to read this novel, one that I will be recommending to others for years to come.

After reading The Covenant of Water one needs to celebrate. The journey is complete, and all is revealed. There is so much here to talk about, and one needs a bit of recovery as though you have run a marathon. It is long, sometimes too long and over written. It is not to say that is bad, it’s just that it feels at times you are lost in the weeds, looking forward to the next chapter which sometimes is about something that doesn’t relate to the last chapter.

Overall I was mesmerized. Having spent time in Kerala I learned so much and was grateful for the deep observations and the many stories that took us from the beginning of the British Rule and onward for 77 years.

Some of the main characters are so interesting. We are early on introduced to Digby, a Scotsman who longs to be a surgeon. Because he is Catholic and not able to find a place in his native Glasgow, he leaves to go get training in India. His introduction to India is so profound, and without giving too much away, his entry to India sets him off on an unexpected journey, that doesn’t complete until the end of the story. Digby is a kind soul, a fine artist, but troubled. In a sense he is saved by India and salvation does come in so many ways.

The other story line is about a young girl named Ammachi, who is married off to a widower with a young son who needs a wife on a big estate In Kerala called Parambil. She is sent without her mother as her mother can no longer care for her after her husband dies. Ammachi grows into a formidable woman, very likable, sensible and loving. She is a devoted Christian and oversees not only her family but all the farmers that live on her land. She becomes the matriarch of this extended group and is the one whose wisdom is needed to carry everyone on. She is formed by her life in Parambil.

Since Abraham Verghese is a doctor, his knowledge of disease and medicine form an intrical part woven into this story. In particular, he writes of the world of lepers and a disease associated with drowning that has plagued so many families in Kerela over generations.


In the book, leprosy is a metaphor for the curse that has plagued Ammachi's extended family. It is a disease that is often stigmatized and misunderstood. However, it is also a disease that can be treated and cured. Drowning is a more literal threat to the family and has made such an impact that they have a family tree noting all the drownings.

Ultimately the book is about love, acceptance and following your heart where ever it takes you. I know this book will be one that will be talked about for its amazing storyline. It does have flaws, but it is pretty remarkable, I only wish I could have spent my whole weekend reading.

Verghese’s last novel CUTTING FOR STONE was a novel that one remembered, one recommended to others, and one that shone brightly. As a result, when 13 years later his long awaited, highly anticipated next release THE COVENANT OF WATER was published, I excitedly couldn’t wait to crack the cover. Verghese himself would give updates on his social media on its progress due to consistent questioning from readers and booksellers alike regarding when they could expect another book: “I am getting closer, and I know i have said that before. But i want to get it right and won't let it out till i think it is my best.” His own high exacting standards combined with the fact Abraham’s day job is none other than being a physician and professor at Stanford, resulted in this decade plus gap between works. If there was any question would it be worth the wait — it is already a NYT bestseller and has been named an Oprah Book Club pick, championed by her as a “masterpiece”. Oprah says: “It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life, and I’ve been reading since I was three.”

When I think of describing Verghese’s past and present novels, sweeping epics come to mind, so it was thrilling to see Verghese himself speaking like-minded of his 700+pg THE COVENANT OF WATER: “…I continue to work on my story, which is another sprawling story in the spirit of Cutting for Stone.” This latest story covers 3 generations over 7 decades predominantly in southern India in the water abundant laden region of Kerala, where the St. Thomas Christian community was born. This is in fact not only Abraham’s own ancestral family region where he spent summers growing up, but the novel itself is directly inspired by and dedicated to his own mother and her life, with her stories, lineage, and talents traced in the beautifully crafted characters.

The family followed in the book has a unique “Condition” that seems to be passed down that causes some members their drowning deaths by water. As other families are discovered with similar stories and medicine advances are made along with family members becoming physicians themselves, the race is on and nearing the goal to find an explanation for the “Condition”. With Verghese’s own medical background and expertise, other medical conditions, surgeries, and interventions are explored further throughout the book including leprosy and leprosariums. The author himself speaks on various topics in presentations and TED talks - with one being titled ‘THE PEN AND THE STETHOSCOPE: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN LITERATURE AND MEDICINE’, and one has to look no further than his own two novels to see this clearly illustrated. However, despite the wide geographic range in settings from Scotland to India, and an expansive multigenerational as well as varied ethnic castes of characters in his latest work, the author weaves and expertly connects them all back together. The characters meet and see each other throughout their lives and are all tied to one other, affecting each other’s lives and rooted in some way to the family tree or its branches. This story and particular family remind readers of all of our larger human interconnectedness — our links to our own sisters and brothers of this one human race.

A small regret is that I read the novel before I found out that the audiobook is read by Abraham himself! It is rare to get to hear an author read/narrate their own audiobook unless it’s a memoir, and that would have been a true joy to hear/read the words of his story the very first time from the author’s own voice. Verghese reported that he spent 2 1/2 wks narrating the audiobook, with pictures of his mom propped up in the booth in front of him for inspiration. So if you haven’t read the book yet, you may want to consider the audiobook version! I bet it is a gem!

Dr. Verghese will be continuing his book tour through the fall, with dates after June still to be announced, so follow his social media for continued tour updates as well as for more behind the scenes treasures revealed from the author himself.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is beautifully written and is an accurate portrayal of India. at that time. The author was his best when writing about medicine , although i did have a problem with the ending. I realize this is a novel, but I'm thinking Elsie's illness was contrived to fit all the threads together. To me , the book bogged down when writing about politics, communism etc. All in all quite an achievement.

It has been 14 years since Abraham Verghese published Cutting for Stone, a book that easily ranks in my top five favorites of all time. With The Covenant of Water, readers are gifted another richly layered familial story of love, heartache, faith, loyalty, betrayal, and forgiveness. It is set in the very southern tip of the Indian coast – present-day Kerala – and also where Verghese’s own family is from.

“A tale that leaves its imprint on a listener tells the truth about how the world lives, and so, unavoidably, it is about families, their victories and wounds, and their departed, including the ghosts who linger; it must offer instructions for living in God’s realm, where joy never spares one from sorrow. A good story goes beyond what a forgiving God cares to do: it reconciles families and unburdens them of secrets whose bond is stronger than blood. But in their revealing, as in their keeping, secrets can tear a family apart.”

The story begins in 1900 as 12-year-old Ammachi leaves her family to travel a half-day by boat away to the 500-acre homestead called Parambil. There, she’s to marry a widower and raise his 2-year-old son, JoJo.

A physician by trade, Verghese (as he did in Cutting for Stone) makes good use of his expertise in The Covenant of Water – he crafts the narrative around an odd “Condition” that seems prevalent in the central family.

In this story, a marriage broker says that what makes a family are the secrets it shares. This family’s secret is the source of mystery and myth, perhaps a curse that has been mapped on a hand-drawn family tree and secretly passed down by its matrons. The parchment warns of the danger lurking in rivers and streams, but also cooking pots and shallow puddles.

A danger ever-present in a “world of rivulets and canals, a latticework of lakes and lagoons, a maze of backwaters and bottle green lotus ponds” – a place ill-suited for a family with a preponderance of drowning. There is so much water that when people “say ‘land’ they include water, because it makes no more sense to separate the two than it does to detach the nose from the mouth.” And so, perhaps drowning should be normal.

In actuality, the Condition is a rare inherited medical trait.

If the Condition is the skeleton, the flesh and bones of The Covenant of Water are three generations of a family – their marriages and children, as well as others – friends and laborers (who are sometimes both at once) – that live within Parambil.

By the 1970s, Ammachi’s granddaughter Mariamma – a physician specializing in neurology – applies science to her family’s Condition to protect future generations. At the same time, she uncovers a deeper secret held by the prior two generations that threatens to unravel all she has known to be true.

The story that binds Ammachi and Mariamma spans the decades that challenged the traditional roles set by caste and gender and race. While society reckons with its own progression, both women must decide if they will love in spite of circumstances and forgive despite the consequences.

Like its predecessor, The Covenant of Water provides characters and scenes that stay with you long after the story closes, and its broad thematic exploration offers much to be savored. While many book clubs may shy away from selecting the 730+ page tome, those who do will be richly rewarded with an excellent discussion.

And also like its predecessor when I read it in 2010, The Covenant of Water is well positioned to be the best book I read this year.