Review of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water is an epic, multi-generational tale set in the lush landscapes of southern India, chronicling the lives of a family marked by love, loss, and an unusual genetic mystery. With themes of faith, medicine, and cultural change woven throughout, Verghese delivers a deeply immersive narrative that explores the human condition in its many forms.
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Plot Overview The novel spans nearly a century (1900-1977), following a single family through its triumphs and tragedies. At the center is a woman known simply as Big Ammachi, who becomes the matriarch of her family at the age of 12 after an arranged marriage. The family is cursed by a peculiar ailment, where members of each generation mysteriously drown. This medical enigma sets the stage for much of the book’s intrigue and narrative drive. As the family grows, so does the complexity of their relationships, all set against the changing political and social landscape of India.
Themes and Setting Verghese’s background as a physician is evident in his attention to medical detail and his exploration of illness as both a physical and metaphorical presence. The novel doesn’t shy away from intricate depictions of medical procedures or the philosophical questions surrounding health, healing, and human frailty. The themes of water and drowning—both literal and symbolic—permeate the story, reflecting the larger motifs of life, death, and the unseen forces that shape destinies.
The setting, rural Kerala, is described with a deep sense of place. The lush, tropical environment, with its rivers, monsoons, and sprawling estates, is almost a character in itself. Verghese captures the spirit of India in transition, from colonial rule to independence, and the accompanying shifts in culture and medicine. His writing is atmospheric, transporting readers to a world of sensory richness, tradition, and slow yet inevitable change.
Character Development Big Ammachi is the heart and soul of the novel—a resilient, wise, and loving woman who becomes the anchor for her family across generations. Verghese portrays her with warmth and depth, making her one of the most memorable matriarchs in modern literature. The supporting characters, including Ammachi’s children, grandchildren, and the people they encounter, are richly drawn, each contributing to the novel’s grand scope. Their personal stories are interwoven with the larger themes of faith, medical mysteries, and the quest for meaning.
Writing Style Verghese’s prose is lyrical and patient, offering a slow build that rewards careful reading. His medical expertise adds an extra layer of authenticity, particularly in scenes involving illness and healing. The novel is not just a family saga but also a meditation on the intersection of medicine and spirituality, science and superstition.
Criticism At over 700 pages, The Covenant of Water is not a quick read. Its sprawling narrative may feel slow at times, particularly for readers who prefer fast-paced storytelling. Some may also find the detailed medical descriptions overly technical or dense. However, for those who appreciate richly textured, character-driven epics, these qualities contribute to the book’s depth and emotional resonance.
Conclusion The Covenant of Water is a masterful work of historical fiction, offering a deeply personal look at one family’s journey through love, loss, and legacy. Abraham Verghese’s blend of medical insight and literary elegance creates a novel that is both thought-provoking and profoundly moving. Fans of epic family sagas like One Hundred Years of Solitude or The Thorn Birds will likely find themselves captivated by this unforgettable story.
Click Here To Order The Covenant of Water On Amazon
SUMMARY
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY
From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret
“One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”—Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com
The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of the major word-of-mouth bestseller Cutting for Stone, which has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years.
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.
A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the difficulties undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. It is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.
