Abraham Verghese is not an author I’d heard of before dipping my toes into ‘The Covenant of Water,’ but after only a few chapters, I can already tell his style is going to leave a lasting impression on me. His voice flows from the claustrophobic inner life of his characters, to the dreamy setting of Kerala, through memory, folk tales, history, and all the way back again with stunning ease, all while weaving in the culture of a place where water runs like highways through the land and spices grow in forever fertile soil. This method of exposition is fantastic, something I dearly wish many other authors (including myself) could master as well. Sometimes novels begin with a set of facts I’m forced to memorize. Not so in this case. Despite how I’m taking in broad swaths of information about a culture I know nothing about, through both the events of the story and exploration of the setting, none of it feels forced on me. I’m immediately hooked by the setting, and the story has already defied expectation a few times. From the first page on, it feels like a different kind of novel than what I’ve read before.
I’m excited to keep reading so I’ll have to go ahead and sign off for now. I’m sure I’ll have a review out soon if it keeps me hooked like it has in the first few pages.
Thank you for reading,
Benjamin Hawley
Dangerous Day Job 