The Covenant of Water is a multigenerational and multicultural story. While it focuses on Big Ammachi, the matriarch of the Parambil family estate in India, the telling encompasses many lives and perspectives. I consider this story to be a beautiful ghost story, full of real life hauntings, fable, and myth. The novel is set in Kerala, a land abundant with water, Christian roots, and natural beauty. I enjoyed many things from this 5-star read:

First, the book is studded with figurative medical terminology. It is an artful use of language that is nothing like I have ever read before in a novel. There is a moment in chapter two when the narrator begins to outline Kerala’s colonial history—starting with an image of a scalpel cutting into soil. Exploratory surgery is the metaphor for this colonial history lesson: a cancerous story to be excised from the land in order to be told in this moment.

One of my favorite things about Big Ammachi, the matriarch and main character, is how she is guided by her senses, especially her sense of hearing. Throughout the story, she listens—to everything. In her sensitive ears are many wise words and voices. Heard and heeded with equal clarity, she takes in the lessons of nature, God, ghosts, saints, her late father, and her prophetic daughter, to name a few.

Let’s look at an endearing example from chapter three. In the scene, Big Ammachi’s sense of smell is her guide. On the first night in her new home, newly married and 12 years old, she wakes up to her new family’s elephant holding a bouquet of fragrant, uprooted jasmine over her bed. It is dark and hard to see what’s happening above her. She’s rightfully frightened, but immediately soothed by the scent of jasmine. The scent allows her to collect herself and see the magic of this moment: a gentle, wild giant, who we learn is an elephant named Damo, came to visit her with flowers, and she follows this newfound family member out into the night.

Book Quote:
“She can neither move nor scream, even though she knows something terrible is about to happen to her in this mysterious, landlocked house…but would death smell like jasmine?”

I swam swiftly through this 700+ page book. The scenes come in a steady current. Like water, the POVS are ever-changing too. Don’t worry: the ripple of changing perspectives is not confusing! The omniscient narrator steers the boat well. The journey through gently changing POVs is a smooth one that makes sense and mixes things up in a delightful way.

If you’re an annotator interested in exploring craft and tracking thematic patterns, you’re going to enjoy this read. I highly recommend picking a unique tab or highlighter color for each of the following topics:
(1) The creative use of figurative medical terminology in the writing
(2) How rocks appear in many forms in the story. You’ll encounter burden stones along pathways on the Parambil estate, a garden of rock-hewn sculptures on the beach in Cochin, gall stones that threat a woman’s life, and much more.
(3) The theme of oneness. The word is directly mentioned several times in the text. The theme appears in contrast to and in conjunction with the separateness imposed by caste systems, both Indian and British.

Closing note: Part 2’s medical drama, intrigue, and urban hospital setting could seamlessly fit into a season of Grey’s Anatomy. I make this comparison reverently. I am a since-day-one fan of Grey’s and devoured this section of the book—it’s full of detailed, graphic operating room scenes and medical anomalies that drive the plot, gritty social commentary, and a doctor’s forbidden love affair. A perfect recipe for diehard Grey’s Anatomy fans.

I really loved the idea behind this book, and the setting and mood of the book overall was fantastic. I loved reading about this history and traditions of India. There were A LOT of characters and this was a slow burn so I did struggle to keep the story straight and keep everything in mind. This book was also very long and not a lot happened between some of the chapters. Overall, I enjoyed this book but just wish it had been more compacted. This was my first novel by this author and I am still intrigued to read more from Abraham Verghese.

What I liked:
▪️compelling rich characters, people I wept over and cheered for
▪️gorgeous writing
▪️personal, familial connections to this book - it came from his heart and his life experiences
▪️deep provocative thoughtful themes, interwoven across generations

What I Struggled With:
▪️lack of plot
▪️desperately needed a character list and family tree of connections - with the length and the number of people, it was hard for my brain to keep track of everyone
▪️a turn towards Christian preaching in end totally lost me, skim read it - ditto the plethora of details on medicine, surgery, etc.
▪️far too long - I could cut two hundred pages easily

I think this is a perfect book to do as a buddy read or book club, small bites at a time. The sections lend itself to division, as certain parts switch to completely new characters. It is worthy of group discussion, and for me, worth the over 700 pages, but a support group would have helped.

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳: 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.”

Although it is overly long and sometimes preachy and pedantic, The Covenant of Water is a compelling read. It's a rich saga of the trials and tribulations (of which there are many) of a Christian Indian family in rural Kerala as they experience the slow slide into modernity with its losses and rewards. Every one of the many characters who populate this novel is fully realized with all their flaws and goodness made real. Even the occasional "magical realism" incidents come across as believable and add richness to the narrative.

If we had to wait almost 15 years since Cutting for Stone for Abraham Verghese’s next novel, The Covenant of Water does not disappoint. Here is a heart wringing story that weaves characters spanning time and place, worthy of savoring every word. Books like this I regret ever end and I usually do reread, listen to the audio version, revisit., shove into hands.

Thank you to NetGalley for lending this arc read to me. I was immediately drawn to the description of this novel. and the historical aspects of it.

I will say that it took awhile for me to get through the first couple of pages but I'll chalk it up to the simple fact that I am more of a mood reader and it seemed a little slow for me. Once I got over that first hurdle I found that I was really getting into this story about a young girl put into an arranged marriage. Her story about navigating her new life and family. We got a range of different things happening including a tragedy that seems to be repetitive. A curse even.

Unfortunately, I could not finish the book after that. It switched perspectives and I just could not get into it the same way. I wanted to know more about the girl. than anything else. Then I saw how many pages this novel was and with how slow paced it was it wasn't for me.

I give it three stars bases off the concept and the part that I read. I may pick it up again sometime.

Books that give insights of other countries is always interesting, Abraham definitely delivered. The attention to details, the way the characters lives circle and connect is so clever and well done. I can't wait to talk to other readers about their thoughts.

There is so much to this book I find it hard to summarize. A marriage is arranged between a 12-year-old girl and an older man, a widower. Once she moves to his estate she learns to be a mother to his young son, JoJo, and a wife, eventually she becomes known as Big Ammachi. She was born in 1900 and the story stops in 1970. I found the writing beautiful and lyrical. Life in Parambil was hard. Her husband's family is plagued by drownings with some being deathly afraid of water, called the Condition. There are a lot of characters. I tried to keep track but some that didn't seem important when introduced were important later on. In addition to Big Ammachi's storyline there is also Digby Kilgour, a Scottish orphan who dreams of being a surgeon and his only opportunity to do so is moving to India. His side of the story gives a glimpse into the lives of the English living in India at the beginning of the 20th century. It's a long book and at times there would be jumps in the time line. I would have liked more character development and more of a flow to the time line and less of some of the back story about the progress at Parambil.

I would recommend this 4.5 star book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for providing me with a digital copy.

I’m thankful to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I was excited to read this one because I love Verghese’s Cutting for Stone and unfortunately this latest release just wasn’t for me.

This book is a spanning novel set in India and I felt it tried to cover too much and I had trouble connecting with the characters. I love a slow character driven novel, but the lack of connection made this feel even slower.

I love the cultural immersion Verghese brings to his novels and this one is no different on that front.

Beautifully written & told.
Meticulously researched.
Important themes.
Very long and often heartbreaking.

With thanks to NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for this e-ARC.

Like many readers, I chose this book because of my deep affection for CUTTING FOR STONE, one of my all-time favorites of contemporary literature. In THE COVENANT OF WATER, Verghese maintains his high standard of line-level writing, with transporting descriptions of the characters and geography that create this world. Set in Kerala across eight decades, this book interweaves stories from various generations of the Parambil family, afflicted with a curse that one member of each generation dies at the hands of water.

This is an epic- as a result, large, slow, and vast in scope. Some readers will appreciate how the author incorporates so much history, geography, and culture into the work; others will wish that he would kindly return to the plot and characters. I fall in between: while I appreciate the writing, I wish it had been trimmed/edited a bit more. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 because of the magnificence of the language.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

"This is the covenant of water: that they're all linked inescapably by their acts of commission and omission, and no one stands alone."
It's not often that you read a 736 page book and think....I wish it wasn't ending! But this was the case for me with The Covenant of Water.
The Parambil family has a long history (at least seven generations) in which at least one family member has drowned. Their story begins in 1900 and ends in the 1970's, during which we become absorbed in a story of complex family relationships and friendships, secrets, and social issues, like the caste system, leprocy, and the concept of self rule for India. Thrown into the mix is Digby, a Scottish doctor who moves to India in 1933 to begin his surgical career. In his note at the beginning of the book, Dr. Verghese indicated that his mother's stories contributed to the book. It's an epic family and historical novel and reminded me in many ways of The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.
The Covenant of Water is not an easy read - the living conditions in India and treatment of people is often harsh and difficult. Of course, with this particular author (who's also a doctor), there are the expected graphic descriptions of medical conditions and treatments.
Throughout the book, there are shocking events that impact characters you've grown fond of, and they will break your heart. But, humorous moments are also deftly woven into their stories to provide balance.
Cutting for Stone is one of my all-time favorite books and it will be joined by The Covenant of Water. Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManofLaBook.com

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is a novel set in South India, following three generations of a family seeking answers to a curse. Mr. Verghese is a published author and physician.

A family living in Kerala, South India is enduring a curse for generations. At least one person in every generation dies by drowning. An addition to the family is a twelve year old girl, part of a Christian community, is sent to be married after her father passed away. Her husband is a good man and a hard worker, and she is being mentored by his family before taking on the duties of a wife.

The girl who has become the family’s matriarch, known as Big Ammachi, will witness changes and tragedies throughout her life.

I was looking forward to reading another book from Dr. Verghese since I enjoyed Cutting for Stone very much. A family saga taking place between 1900 and 1977 on India’s Malabar Coast seemed promising since a lot has happened in that area during that time.

If anything, I feel that The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese is too ambitious. The book tries to tell a story, but also incorporate Christian influences, rituals, politics, spiritual aspects, cast system challenges, customs, architecture, languages, colonialism, education, medicine (of course) and much more.

At several points I found myself just reading to finish – never a good sign. Some of the narrative was, frankly, exhausting to plow through. There are, however, beautiful descriptions, and an overall story which kept me going.

Some of the narrative seems repetitive, other just seemed wasteful (paragraphs ruminating on the flavors of spices). The side stories were interesting as well, but they get lost in the effort to make the novel more “literary” which, to me, seem to simply make the reading more challenging without adding any value to the work as a whole.

I did, however, enjoy the familial saga, as well as learning new things about a culture I knew very little about. While still not an expert, I certainly gained knowledge which, in my mind, made the novel a worthwhile read.

I still don’t know if the story or the history were the main narratives which drove the novel forward (albeit very slowly). But does it really matter?

I would give this fabulous epic 10 stars if I could. Magic, exotic, intoxicating from page 1. I loved it and it should be the book of the summer

I loved Cutting for Stone when I first read it, so when I saw Abraham Verghese I was so excited to read it. 

I read this book much slower than I usually do -- in part because it is so long, and in part because it is quite emotional and sad. I loved the scope and the span of time, seeing all the generations of the Parambil family. I loved each member of the family and was so sad to see unfortunate things happen to them. Each family member was so unique and quirky, and all written so well. My favorite characters were Elsie and Mariamma. I loved seeing Mariamma become so successful, especially in regards to the Condition. 

I also adored Digby and enjoyed the break in narrative that introducing his character created. He was endearing, and I especially enjoyed the early parts of him at Saint Bridget's.

The end is so perfect and gave my chills -- I loved how it all wrapped up, and it was so beautifully written.

This book is both very long and very sad but I would definitely recommend it -- the language is so rich and the span of life of the characters is written so lovely. I love reading about India, I have been to Kerala and Chennai and could picture many of the places described. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

4.5 rounded up with admiration for an author/doctor attending to his patients during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

“The water she first stepped into minutes ago is long gone and yet it is here, past and present and future inexorably coupled, like time made incarnate. This is the covenant of water: that they’re all linked inescapably by their acts of commission and omission, and no one stands alone.”

The wait is over for those who enjoyed Cutting for Stone as I did, but reader beware! This tome is a hefty 740 pages and might be better enjoyed as an uninterrupted fall/winter reading experience.

The Covenant of Water opens in India, with a 12 year old bride’s arranged marriage to a middle aged man, and spans 70 years beginning in 1900. A family secret, whispered as the “Condition”, is one in which each generation loses a family member by a drowning. This unexplained phenomenon weaves its way throughout the fabric of the novel.
Anchored by a loving and determined matriarch, each character informs the rich themes of grief, forgiveness, and ambition, among others. The sensory backdrop of the southern tip of India enhanced every detail of the plot with stunning prose on every page and I truly enjoyed details about the evolution of the country during the 20th century. Mr. Verghese’s experience as a physician is apparent in fascinating passages about medical myths and treatments in this area of the world.
I selfishly hope that I don’t have to wait another 14 years for another Abraham Verghese novel, but know it will be worth the wait.
For those who enjoy sweeping family stories set in faraway lands, like Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow – my first Verghese book. This book is more than just a fictional book; it has many themes, including a family saga, coming of age, medical fiction, and possibly some mystery. Not the typical book I read, but I am honored to have read it.

This book is an epic tale of a 12-year-old married off to a 40-year-old man and spans her lifetime and then some. Seventy years and 3 generations make this book a family saga encompassing love, friendship, tragedy, unremarkable sadness, pride, success, and the overall love of a family.
The writing is beautiful and articulate, and the dedication to detail is seen on each page. I can only imagine how that research alone for this book could have taken years.

Meeting each character with a purpose that you would only know as you read on.
Big Ammachi, Baby Mol, Digby, Rune, and Philipose are just a few characters whose lives interconnect throughout the book. Each character's life offered the reader a glimpse – reading and wondering how their lives would eventually intersect was my reasoning for continuing to read for hours.

The family she has married into has what is referred to as "The Condition" – a severe aversion to water. Many family members in the past (and present) have succumbed to water-related deaths. I found this so interesting as this family is literally surrounded by water. They anticipate with joy monsoon season, and to have the "condition" in such an environment dependent upon water is fascinating. Since the author is a doctor, figuring out the affliction was a genius way to use his knowledge and expertise. The medical themes in the book are descriptive but understandable to the everyday person. The intricacies of many of the surgeries and ailments helped me understand what was happening and what could happen and taught me at the same time. I had never known much about leprosy, and after reading this book, I have a better medical and emotional understanding of life for those with the affliction.

Yes, this is the longest book I have ever read, but the 700+ pages were worth every moment I spent reading. I was brought to Parambil in 1900 and finished in 1977 in Saint Bridget's Leprosarium, and the ride was beautiful and tragic. I finished this book learning so much about a family, a culture, the history of India, religion in India, and more than I could have imagined reading fiction.

Take the time, and you will need it, but commit yourself to reading this book, as it will surely be one of my all-time top reads.

I know now why it's taken Abraham Verghese so long to write a new book, fourteen years (!) after one of my favourite novels, Cutting for Stone. The Covenant of Water is an enormous book, spanning generations, continents, and the whole spectrum of life... including some deeply tragic moments in places – many places.

After the first hundred or so pages, I told my husband that I was glad about this. It felt like a book about life that didn't shy away from its difficulties. However, after a few more hundred pages, I looked up from the book and – as with fellow traumatic novels I've read (hello, A Little Life) – pondered why I was putting myself through this.

There is so much tragedy and it's not easy to read about. Did one family need to suffer so much? But many similar families have indeed suffered (and those with fewer means than this novel's family, even more so). In any case, I knew I had to keep reading.

This is a masterpiece of a book. I know I'll be thinking back to it for a long, long time. I'll also certainly reread it, but for now I need to let it settle. During the couple of weeks I've spent immersed in this huge book, I've fallen into its world. Exiting it feels both mournful and uncomfortable – like being thrown back into the real world alone – and that really speaks to Verghese's marvelously evocative writing.

I felt the same when reading Cutting for Stone. Both books are absolutely not novels to binge-read; I rarely read more than 30 pages at a time and savoured these like a small piece of dark chocolate after dinner. And yet I looked forward to getting back to the book, to checking in with the characters, observing what their days looked and felt like, and witnessing the family's evolution; slow at some points, rapidly transformative at others.

The final thing I'll say here is that Abraham Verghese is just so dang good at making you care about the world and the people he brings to life. Every detail is so precisely rendered and you can't help but feel invested. You too are sitting on the porch at Parambil, noticing as the elephant approaches the kitchen, watching family members leave and waiting for them to return. That's exactly what I was hoping for with this book, and I'm so glad it delivered.

4.5 stars. Thank you so much to the publisher for this advance review copy.

A beautiful family saga starting with a young girl married off to a widower with a strange affliction to water in a remote part of Kerala, India. This book covers almost 80 years following the family through happiness and sadness, love and loss, death and birth. Yes, the book is very long but honestly I would have read another 700 pages to stay with this family longer. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book!

There is so much to love in the Covenant of Water - the writing is gorgeous, poetic, engaging; the characters are well drawn, sometimes quirky; there is history and drama and family; there are over 700 pages! I wanted to love this book as much as I did Cutting for Stone, but there were too many digressions, too much detail that was largely irrelevant, too many characters that came and went, and not nearly enough careful editing to pare this down to the essence of the engaging story. 4 stars because Verghese can write with such amazing skill, but rounded down to 3.5 because this book could have been so much better than it was.