Book Review: The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

Book: The Covenant of Water 

Author: Abraham Verghese 

Pages: 736 

Read on: Kindle 

Read in: ~8-9 hours, over two days 

Plot Summary: 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.

General Thoughts: The Covenant of Water is, without doubt, one of the best books I have read in a very, very long time. It is panoramic and breathtaking in its scope, its characters are so life-like and lovely- they stay with you long after you've finished the book. This is the kind of writing and storytelling that made me fall in love with reading. The type of narrative and storytelling you'd expect from stalwarts like Salman Rushdie or Amitav Ghosh or, more recently, Jhumpa Lahiri. If you have any doubts about picking this book up, then let our *glowing* review convince you to rush out and buy a copy! 

Things I Liked: 

1. I loved the broad canvas of the story itself, which spans the 77-year period between 1900 to 1977 - a period marked by cataclysmic changes in India and the world. An interesting time period in which to set a story about a family and the people around it, connected to it- by both blood and friendship. A sprawling, multi-generational family saga that is not merely about a family but also about the village-town and Kerala and the world, really. The sheer scope of this book, the topics it covers and the journeys of its key characters is what makes this book the masterpiece that it is! 

2. The writing is beautiful. It is simple yet evocative as it brings the village of Parambil, the family at the centre of this novel and the various people their paths cross with, to stunning life. It is as though you know these people, feel their feelings and get so invested in their ups and downs, trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows. There is a lot of Malayalam words infused in the text but it does not really get in the way of understanding the dialogues or the context. 

3. There are so many wonderful, beautifully constructed, real, flawed, lovely, lovely characters in this book. Their lives, values, ups and downs, feelings, decisions, mistakes and flaws make them so real and so memorable. 

My favourite was Ammachi, whose life forms the nucleus of this novel. Our journey into this world starts with little Ammachi getting married to a much-older man and leaving her mother and home behind to move hundreds of kilometres away to effectively head a household. Her growth from an uncertain twelve-year old to the matriarch that she eventually becomes is not smooth or without heartaches but she is a character that I grew to love so much. Her faith, her love, her generosity, her acceptance of people just as they were, for who they were, really moved me! 

I also really, really loved Rune Orqvist- the Swedish doctor- who'd made his life in Kerala and finds his  purpose in serving the most ostracised and suffering. 

The various people who lived on or worked in Parambil- Shamuel, Odat Kochamma, Dolly Kochamma, the twins- Georgie and Rajen, little Jojo, sweet Baby Mol, Mariamma, Anna Chedethi, Lenin, Uplift Master- all absolutely lovely, lovely characters, who infuse this book with so much sweetness. 

4. I really appreciated that this book is not written for a western audience. To be honest, I am always a little weary of reading books about India written by diaspora authors because there is always a pandering to the western gaze and an urge to exoticize India and all things Indian. I have seen this happen in multiple books and it is very annoying and, not to mention, inauthentic. The Covenant of Water is written with an Indian gaze without making our culture, our homes, rituals and people seem exotic. They are all incredibly human and Indian, which adds to the relatability and charm of the story. 

5. There is so much goodness and grace in this book. The family and friends of Parambil face deep loss and various kinds of troubles but, sooner rather than later, the business of living takes over and all the characters deal with grief and loss in such a graceful manner and rise above that to life, make memories, do good and love each day. Reading this book felt like a hug! 

Rating: 5/5 

Highly, highly recommend this fantastic book!