The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Book Blurb
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India 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, 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 poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch – known as Big Ammachi – will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.

A shimmering evocation of a lost 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 hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.

My Review

I still feel that Historical Fiction is my favourite genre, especially when it is an epic saga with over six hundred pages. I was just in the mood for a book like that, so searching my bookshelves I chose The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Set in India this book spans over seven decades and three generations of a family that starts with a young 12 year old girl leaving her home to become a wife.

I had a feeling when I chose this book that it would be good, it was an Oprah Book Club choice and had brilliant reviews. What I hadn’t expected was how amazing it actually was. A good book needs great characters and in The Covenant of Water we have Big Ammachi, the 12 year old bride, who became a matriarch to both family and friends. She was such a fascinating character who showed strength well beyond her years at times and always stayed positive. She has to face the adversity of a family curse that sees one from each generation die due to drowning. Her faith and kindness shine through in her story. Through her story Abraham Verghese explores how things flow down the generations, lessons learned, family history and how as humans we are connected to what is around us, in this case the land, the trees and the water, which are also the things that bring us back home.

As well as Big Ammachi there is a second plot line of Digby, a Doctor from Glasgow who moved to India in the 1930’s to be a surgeon after being discriminated in the UK because of his accent. His is thrown in at the deep end, performing surgery in basic theatres and with little help from others. Through his story we see the progression of medicine in India, how the white people got better care but also how the progression in the cities flowed down to the villages giving them a better chance.

The writing in this book is sublime, almost lyrical in parts. Abraham Verghese brilliantly captures the sights the smells and the culture of India; the street sellers, the letter writers working by the side of the roads, the mouthwatering food and the contrasting living conditions. Abraham Verghese being a surgeon himself wove the medical history through the book with skill, and I loved this part of the story, I do love to learn something from a book. The story was well paced, interlinking chapters going from one story to the other that made this such an addictive read, I kept needing to see what happened next to each of the characters.

Reading The Covenant of Water reminded me why historical fiction is still my favourite genre. Abraham Verghese weaves a beautifully tapestry of over seventy years in Indian history and brings it to life seamlessly. I felt I really connected with the characters and their lives, their highs and lows and the many emotions they all experienced. This is a master class in historical fiction, my only complaint is that it had to end. An epic read in all senses and one of the best books I’ve read in a while.