"Dive into the Riveting Tale of 'The Covenant of Water' by Abraham Verghese"

Dr. Abraham Verghese is not only a vice chair of education at the Stanford University School of Medicine but also an expert in bedside manner, emphasizing the importance of the human touch to medical students. His passion lies in the power of connection, both in his medical practice and in his role as an author.

"A good story goes beyond what a forgiving God cares to do. It reconciles families and unburdens them of secrets whose bond is stronger than blood. But in their revealing, as in their keeping, secrets can tear a family apart."

These profound words are extracted from his bestselling novel "The Covenant of Water," which vividly portrays a world as lush and vibrant as the prose itself. Verghese elaborated, "The book is set in Kerala, a coastal region in India, between 1900 and 1970, characterized by its abundance of lakes, waterways, lagoons, and backwaters. Throughout each generation of the family I delve into, one or more members tragically drown."

The Tragic Tale of a Family, Love, and Loss

The drownings remain a haunting mystery within the family's narrative, entwined with a cherished matriarch, decades of enduring love, and heartbreaking deaths that still resonate with the author. "Every time I revisited certain scenes for revisions, no matter how many times I did it, the pain was palpable," he shared. "It felt like losing someone all over again."

Describing "The Covenant of Water" proves challenging, much like encapsulating the life of its creator. Born in Ethiopia to Indian parents, Abraham Verghese's upbringing was shaped by his mother, a dedicated educator who instilled the importance of learning in her sons. His brother, George, now holds a professorship at MIT.

Following his medical studies, Dr. Verghese embarked on a residency in Johnson City, Tennessee, during the 1980s, where he encountered a rising number of individuals battling HIV – a then-deadly disease. Witnessing these struggles fueled his desire to share their stories with the world.

"Their messages were clear: don't delay your dreams; life is too fleeting to put off what you desire for a vague 'someday,'" he reflected. "All those sentiments coalesced in that moment, propelling me to write this book. I needed to write it."

So, in the winter of 1990 he put his medical practice on hold, packed in his retirement, and moved his young family to the University of Iowa, and their acclaimed writing program. "I tell you, if you do that, it makes you take yourself seriously as a writer," he said. "So I could no longer say I'm dabbling in this stuff. I mean, I was all-in."

The resulting book, "My Own Country," was a sensation. A subsequent novel, 2009's "Cutting for Stone," spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list.

But his second novel, "The Covenant of Water," was closest to his heart. It was inspired by, and dedicated to, his mother, Mariamma, who died in 2016.

Verghese said, "The inspiration was very much my mom and the strong women around my mother, such as her mother-in-law and her mother. These were sort of heroic women who lived quiet lives. The world would never know about their heroism. The world would never know how much tragedy they went through."

Their story spans three generations, and there's a lot to keep track of, so he used whiteboards to keep it all straight. "You know, I think it was really not helpful in the way people imagined, where it was like an architectural plan; I think this was me sort of beginning to see the characters, to visualize them for myself," he said.

After a decade of waiting, "The Covenant of Water" was finally published. Then, a literary miracle happened: a phone call from Oprah Winfrey. "I hear this beautiful, resonant voice, melodious voice saying, 'Hi, this is Oprah.' And I stood up, because I have the most tremendous respect for her. I mean, I don't know of anybody else in our culture that has brought more readers to books."

Not only did Oprah choose his novel for her book club; she physically handed out copies of it, and she plans to make it into a movie. 

And Oprah's not the only big fan. It was on former President Obama's list of favorite books from 2023.

"I've been incredibly lucky," Verghese said. "I don't know that I can point to it being all my skills. Certainly not. You need a lot of luck when you produce a book."

Asked what his mother would think of the reaction to his work, Verghese replied, "I think my mother would be delighted. Our parents are not particularly demonstrative in the things that they say in terms of praise. But I think she would've been very pleased."

And if writing is Abraham Verghese opening his heart to the world, the world has answered in kind. The book stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 37 weeks. The story, inspired by his mother, has taken on a life of its own, something even the esteemed doctor finds hard to explain.