What we thought: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Evening Book Club July 2016

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Although this is a novel the author’s background growing up in Ethiopia and his profession as a surgeon is reflected in the treatment of subjects and insights into the emotional lives of the characters. Readers were profoundly moved by the intensity of the story and how culture and spiritualty affected the way the characters understood and reacted to their circumstances. Readers compared the differences in American society to that of Ethiopia and talked about the lives of immigrants after coming to the United States either by choice or force.

Readers commented that they wanted to know more about the history of Ethiopia and Haile Selassie. They were not certain about the time frame and wanted to know how the characters of

Dr. Thomas Stone, Sister Mary Joseph Praise, Hema and Ghosh physician adoptive parents of Marion/Shiva fit into the scope of the story. They determined that the story began in the 1950’s and moved through the adulthood of Marion and Shiva Stone.

Readers were fascinated by the medical and surgical details in the Ethiopian clinic where the Indian doctors and nurses cared for their patients. The ailments were gruesome, especially the conditions of women and the aftermath of childbirth. Readers said that despite the terrible suffering they couldn’t turn away and kept reading. This led to a discussion about the connection between the physical body and the spirituality of the soul and the differences between the views of Western and other cultures. Readers were captivated by the sensitivity and beauty of the author’s language in writing about death and acceptance of it. In his medical and teaching practice Dr. Verghese emphasizes the importance of bedside manner and attention to patients and their families. Readers talked about their own experiences with doctors and how Cutting for Stone gave them a lot to think about.

Recommended reading: Marcus Samuelsson, renowned chef and Food Network celebrity is an Ethiopian child who was adopted and grew up in Sweden. He wrote about his multicultural life in Yes, Chef; a memoir and Marcus off Duty; the recipes I cook at home.

Have you read Cutting for Stone?  What did you think?  Please share your thoughts in comments.