The Covenant of Water

The Covenant of Water

Abraham Verghese

" The water she first stepped into minutes ago is long gone, and yet it is there, past and present and future inexorably coupled, like time made incarnate.This is the covenant of water: that they're all linked inescapably by their acts of commission and omission,and no one stands alone. She stays there listening to the burbling manthra, the chant that never ceases, repeating its message that all is one. What she thought was her life is all maya, all illusion, but it is one shared illusion. And what else can she do but go on."

"Every family has secrets, but not all secrets are meant to deceive"

" What defines a family isn't blood but the secrets they share."

Secrets that can bind them together or bring them to their knees.

Entering into Parambil as a young bride of 12, Big Ammachi became the pillar of strength for all of Parambil, negotiating difficult waters of life with exceptional competence. Many gained shelter under her wings of unwavering faith, pure love and genuine compassion. Life burbled through and around Parambil carrying along love, imperfections, achievements and mishaps.

The saga of Parambil from 1900 to 1977, in seven hundred odd pages was absolutely absorbing that it gave me necessary distraction to my anxiety while going through a difficult period. The book turned a bit dramatic towards the end, during the period of Mariamma, Big Ammachi's namesake. But I have no complaints.

The Covenant of Water is vivid and exceptionally engaging.

Preetha Raj

Comments

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