Synopsis:
In Cutting For Stone the eclectic family of Missing Hospital employees find themselves raising twin boys, Marion and Shiva, born to a resident nun. This story is set in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and begins in the late 1940's taking the reader all the way up to the year 2004. Marion narrates this story of his life taking us from his beloved country of Ethiopia all the way to the United States. Along the way, Marion deals with loss, betrayal, love, success, failure, his past, and his future. It's a story of coming full circle and along the journey finding forgiveness and healing of wounds.
Comments:
We absolutely loved this book! It hooked us early on and kept some of us reading late into nights and early mornings! The book was long, but the author took the time to fully develop each of the characters so that we felt that we would recognize Marion or Ghosh or Genet if we were to pass them on the street. All of the book's characters were interesting, unique individuals, but we had a favorite: Ghosh. He was a loving husband, understanding father, compassionate friend, and talented doctor. We admired his ability to patiently love Hema before she ever realized she loved him, his boundless love in caring for the twins as their 'adoptive' father, and his desire to heal a broken man and reunite him with his children.
The medical terminology and surgical procedures were detailed and descriptive enough that we felt we were qualified to assist in surgery now - - okay, maybe not just yet! However, since we are blessed to have one of our club members in the medical profession, she was able to answer the questions we had over that subject matter and explain more fully to us what was meant by the phrase "the injury in which the surgeon sees God."
It was interesting to see the parallels between Thomas Stone's life and Marion Stone's life despite the fact that they did not meet one another until Marion was in his twenties. Thomas and Marion both grew up without their biological father's presence due to the father's choice. As young children, they suffered the loss of their mother due to death. They both fell in love but were unable to pursue a lasting relationship with the woman they loved. Both men became successful surgeons in large part due to the influence of a strong male father figure in their lives.
Most Memorable Quote:
Although there were many well-written, thought-provoking quotes throughout this book, the following quote is one we thought best summed up this book's theme and a true statement of everyone's life: "But there's another kind of hole, and that is the wound that divides family. Sometimes this wound occurs at the moment of birth, sometimes it happens later. We are all fixing what is broken. It is the task of a lifetime. We'll leave much unfinished for the next generation." (p. 22)
FAB Rating:
Characters: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
The characters were both interesting and plausible. We better understood young Genet and her outrageous behavior when we considered what she most likely witnessed in the one room shack she inhabited with her mom and her mom's visiting lover. We considered the possibility that in today's time Shiva might have been diagnosed with autism or Asperberger's Syndrome or something else along that line. The characters didn't always follow what we predicted would happen and that is what made them even more plausibly human.
Writing Style: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Mr. Verghese has written a novel which is both poetic and educational. His ability to richly describe the emotions and motivations of a character in one paragraph and then next describe a complex surgical procedure in detail so that the layman can understand it shows great versatility. The beauty seen in the natural surroundings of Missing Hospital, the rich culture and history of the Ethiopian peoples, and even the potentially dark, ugly side of the human soul were vividly described and made for compelling reading.
Storyline: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
This story was unique, yet familiar to so many of us in its theme of healing those wounds caused by our own families. The story timeline allowed us the time to truly connect to the characters and observe their growth and changes through the years.
