Sign in with Facebook
Clif Hostetler's Reviews > The Covenant of Water
The Covenant of Water
by
by
As a reader fully captivated by this multigenerational epic, I found my emotions and heart whisked off to a time and place far from my own but still filled with familiar joys and sorrows of the human experience. This story takes place from 1900 to 1977 and centers on the indigenous Saint Thomas Christian community in the state of Kerala on India’s southwestern Malabar Coast. This is a wide ranging story with the development of a variety of characters including some colonial and Western Individuals whose lives intertwine with the local community and family which are the focus of this book.
The overarching plot involves intergenerational medical history of what appears to be random instances of bad luck which eventually leads to a diagnosis of probable inherited genealogical cause. This medical mystery is referenced in the editor’s description of the book, but readers who make it beyond that point and all the way to the end will discover the solution to an additional mystery they didn’t know needed to be solved. This final solved mystery provides a devastating emotional bitter/sweet conclusion about which I can’t say more without being a spoiler. I will add that it’s necessary to read all of the book leading up to the end in order to experience its full impact.
One significant feature of this book are the various instances where medical and surgical techniques are used to save lives and/or regain function of injured hands. The author is a physician and it appears he had saved up a list of impressive medical interventions to be inserted into this book’s story. These cases are described in exhaustive detail capable of putting TV hospital shows to shame.
This book is a prime example of the saying that being a reader of books allows one to experience many different lives. This book is a “multiverse” of experiences.
The overarching plot involves intergenerational medical history of what appears to be random instances of bad luck which eventually leads to a diagnosis of probable inherited genealogical cause. This medical mystery is referenced in the editor’s description of the book, but readers who make it beyond that point and all the way to the end will discover the solution to an additional mystery they didn’t know needed to be solved. This final solved mystery provides a devastating emotional bitter/sweet conclusion about which I can’t say more without being a spoiler. I will add that it’s necessary to read all of the book leading up to the end in order to experience its full impact.
One significant feature of this book are the various instances where medical and surgical techniques are used to save lives and/or regain function of injured hands. The author is a physician and it appears he had saved up a list of impressive medical interventions to be inserted into this book’s story. These cases are described in exhaustive detail capable of putting TV hospital shows to shame.
This book is a prime example of the saying that being a reader of books allows one to experience many different lives. This book is a “multiverse” of experiences.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Covenant of Water.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
May 9, 2023
– Shelved
May 15, 2023
–
Started Reading
May 20, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-8 of 8 (8 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Barry
(new)
May 21, 2023 03:52PM
Great review Clif! I enjoyed AV’s Cutting for Stone, so I’ll have to add this to my list
reply
|
flag
Love seeing your glowing review, Clif! I have this in hold at the library so it will be a while before I get to it, but you have whetted my appetite.
Barry wrote: "Great review Clif! I enjoyed AV’s Cutting for Stone, so I’ll have to add this to my list"I somehow never got around to reading Cutting for Stone even though friends have highly recommended it. When The Covenant of Water came out I decided I'd be one of the first to read it, and then maybe later I can be the last to read Cutting for Stone.
Suzy wrote: "Love seeing your glowing review, Clif! I have this in hold at the library so it will be a while before I get to it, but you have whetted my appetite."Glad you enjoyed the review and hope you like the book as much as I did.
Sounds very interesting. Thanks for writing it up Clif.
Jamie wrote: "Sounds very interesting. Thanks for writing it up Clif."I suppose how one responds to a book is indicative of their personality, and personalities differ. It's interesting to note that some other reviewers found the book boring, and some didn't even finish the book. It's a reminder to me not to expect everyone else to feel the same as me regarding a book.
Elyse wrote: "And comments that followed. My thoughts about this book are so different than many —
But I too felt Cutting For Stone was one of our greatest books…
I liked both his other two non fiction books ..."
Thanks for your comment. Your review is one of the reviews I read prior to making my comment about how other reviewers feel differently. My first impulse on reading your review was to post a comment of protest, and argue that there was at least one humor segment in the book (i.e. translating for the American evangelist's). But then I thought better of it and decided not to argue about how somebody else feels about the book.
