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.
