This poignant novel is a magnum opus that has twists and turns and deep undercurrents like the river flowing through the picturesque Parambil estate in God’s own country. From the very first chapter, The Covenant of Water gives the reader a prime spot in matriarch Big Ammachi’s world spanning from 1900 to the 1970s. The novel begins with the marriage of a 12-year-old girl to a 40-year-old widower. It revolves around the Parambil family, the mysterious family curse (the “Condition”), and their terrifying aversion to water.
There are a host of unique characters – a one-eyed elephant (Damo), farm labourers, toddy tappers, caretakers, matchmakers, gregarious aunts, beautiful Celeste, Dr Digby, JoJo, Baby Mol, Philipose, Elsie, Shamuel , Joppan, Lenin and Mariamma, who come and go seamlessly across geographical borders and three generations in this unputdownable book. There are tragic deaths, funerals, and births that become a part and parcel of this literary masterpiece. There are times when you wonder, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or how come “the oppressed have become the oppressors”. But Dr. Abraham knows when to drown and bring to the surface his characters to take the story forward. There are benevolent donors, scheming relatives, and loyal domestics who teach you a thing or two about ‘unconditional love’ and ‘humanity’.
Be it the crowded MMM Hospital (triple Yem hospital) or the hillside St. Bridget’s leprosarium, Dr Abraham takes you on an epic journey of caste discrimination, family heirlooms, and ‘us’ versus ‘them’. The celebrated doctor-cum-author has a knack to weave in details about illnesses, and medical procedures through his well-etched characters and plotlines. He talks about the trauma and stigma attached to Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy). The novel talks in detail about society’s double standards and how patients with leprosy and their families are ostracised.
The writer and his research team’s attention to details of a bygone era – Cuticura Talcum Powder, shipped ice-cream slabs, earthen pots for fish curries, and breathtaking views of Kerala’s backwaters, lotus ponds, English rose gardens and Triumph joyrides, transport you to Parambil, Madras, and England in a jiffy.
The Covenant of Water painstakingly chronicles the ups and downs of the Parambil family across three generations.
The Covenant of Water
Author: Abraham Verghese
Publisher: Grove Press UK
