The Armchair Book Review

My book club just finished reading, "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese. This book was a best-seller in 2009. It is an epic novel, very well written, with wonderful characters and Ethiopia as the backdrop. It centers around identical twin brothers Shiva and Marion. Their mother, who is a nun, dies giving birth and their father, a skilled surgeon, disappears as soon as the babies are born. The boys are raised by two loving people, and other people who are close to the family. The boys both grow up to be in the medical profession, although Shiva is not a certified doctor. The boys' biological father comes back into the picture later in life and it seems that there is a purpose for that. The author has a medical background, which is evidenced in his description of some of the medical procedures. At times, one might think it was described too well, but the majority of the book is so good, that you could easily overlook those few parts. Mr. Verghese draws pictures when he describes Ethiopia; he compliments all your senses. You can hear the raindrops hitting the tin roof, see the countryside bursting with yellow flowers, smell and taste the injera, which is a sponge-like bread used to scoop up the meal. The way this author ties up the loose ends and relates things throughout the book is totally ingenious. I am definitely going to read this book again, at a slower pace, and enjoy it all over again. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.