A long overdue #fivestarfriday
Title: The Covenant of Water
Author: Abraham Verghese
Publisher:@groveatlantic Genre: Historical/Literary Fiction
Thank you to the queen @oprah for picking this book and getting me over my fear of long books. Pro tip: I spent a month reading this book at only 30 pages a day. That truly made it feel manageable for me. But you see, this was earlier in the spring and it’s been sitting on my desk since then so I could write a review. But how? How can I articulate the greatness in these pages? At times I felt unworthy of what I was reading.
So, let me start with this, this book isn’t going to be for everybody. And that’s okay! Next, I’d like to tell you a story… My twenty year old son was home from college when I finished reading this and he was so impressed by size of book that I read. “Mom, you’re beast! So, what’s it about?” I thought for a minute how I could answer this. “It’s really complicated. Picture me wanting to share a story about you but the only way I can do that and for it to make sense is start with a story about your grandparents first. See that’s the thing with families and life, we’re all connected.”
A one sentence review would be to say that this book is a masterpiece. It’s a complex beautiful multicultural story. It’s told in a non-linear format of three generations in India and oh the layers and aha moments you are rewarded with. My only quibble is it does get bogged down at times with medicine; however I was never squeamish or finding myself not understanding. It has heavy themes of addiction, racism, and colonialism. Despite being full of tragedy there is love, hope and a strong sense of family legacy throughout.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ That’s all I got. I’m ready to shelve this book and for it to have a spot on my grid! Just in time for @oprahsbookclub next pick!
Favorite Quote: “We are merely renting these bodies of ours. You came into this world on am in breath. You will exit on an out breath.”
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