Cutting for Stone

Every once in a while a book comes along that you know will stick with you forever.  Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese, is one of those books.

I'd read only good things about this book but when I sat down to start it, I was immediately skeptical.  It was not a true story, as I thought; it was fiction.  Despite my disappointment, I started reading....and couldn't stop.  This book captivated me.

You are immediately transported to Ethiopia, circa 1960.  The first half of the book takes place almost exclusively at a mission in the capital where doctors and nurses struggle to help those who come to their gate in agony.  There is a lot of medical terminology and descriptions.  Considering that it took some people days to reach the mission after an illness of injury, you can imagine, I'm sure, some of the descriptions of medical conditions in this book.  But, at the same time, Verghese has written something that is not fantastic.  It is human - real and brutal.  

The story begins with the birth of twin boys on the same day that their mother, a nun, dies.  They are raised by two doctors at the mission, both from India, amidst the political turmoil of Ethiopia's capital.  Both brothers go into medicine, naturally.  One must flee to America (where he gains formal training) while the other stays at the mission (trained by real-life).  Their lives are constantly intertwined, even when they are separated by thousands of miles.    

This is a book that explores the souls of brave men and women.  I loved it.  Read it and I'm sure you'll love it as well.