Amazing!!! That is what I want to tell about this book. Coming from a non-medical background, one of the first things that intrigued me was the title of the book - Cutting for Stone. It took me some time to realize that it is taken from a phrase "I will not cut for stone" from the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take when they start their profession.
Cutting for Stone is a story around the Missing Hospital, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Marion and Shiva Stone are twins who were born out of a secret union between Sister Mary Praise Joseph, an Indian nun and Thomas Stone, a British surgeon. Sister Mary dies during childbirth and Stone has no recollection of how this happened. Thomas Stone is not able to accept the dead of his first assistant in surgery for 7 years; neither is he able to accept his kids. Hence the kids are left under the responsibility of Hema, the gynaecologist and the Matron sister of Missing Hospital.
The story is a narration by Marion Stone, a surgeon about the life of Marion and Shiva Stone from their birth; it also includes a bit about how Sister Mary and Thomas meets each other.
My Thoughts
I loved this book. It is true I put this aside after reading the initial 60 pages. It was not because I didn't like what I read, but it was more due to the fact that the subject looked a bit "heavy" at that point of time. But I reread most of those portions and couldn't put this book until I finished it. I felt a sort of restlessness until I finished reading this great novel by Abraham Verghese.
Abraham Verghese who is a doctor by profession has done a remarkable work in his research about life in Ethiopia; some of it would have come from his own personal experience. I don't think I have read any other book in which there is so much celebration of the medical profession. He has taken so much pain to describe most of the surgical procedures in big detail, without boring the readers. It is true that at times, I didn't have the patience to read everything as I was restless to know what happens next in the story.
Cutting short my review, Abraham Verghese has created an amazing literary work which in my personal opinion didn't get much popularity in India. I would recommend Cutting For Stone for those who are looking out for a great read. This book will always be one of my favorite books.
source: thebookishreviews.blogspot.com
