Book review - Cutting for Stone

A few of us in the office recently read 'Cutting for Stone' by Abraham Verghese. The book is a generational epic that starts with a young nurse in Yemen in 1947 and follows her all-to-short life and that of her orphaned twin sons in Ethiopia and America. The story focuses predominantly on the life of one of the twins and how losing both his mother and father in his childhood impacted and shaped the course of his life.

It took a few pages to capture my attention, but once it did it was difficult to put down. It gives the reader a vivid picture of Addis Ababa; the sights and sounds are brought alive throughout the story. It is the perfect backdrop to this engaging story and sets the stage for many of its most dramatic moments.

With love, betrayal and healing, it's a novel that will hold the reader in its grip and its effect will linger well after the last page.

Book image courtesy Amazon.com