Curses and blessings

Abraham Verghese’s elegant and sweeping family saga has its roots in his mother’s childhood memories

- CHERYL PEARL SUCHER

THE COVENANT OF WATER, by Abraham Verghese (Grove Atlantic, $37.99)
The sometimes daunting prospect of reading a contemporary novel of serious length is often met by informed scepticism. Does the work deserve the commitment of time or is it simply grandiose bloviation?

The elegant, sweeping beauty of Abraham Verghese's 712-page novel instantly vanquished all doubt, transporting me immediately to Kerala, on south India's Malabar Coast, to follow three generations of a family suffering a peculiar affliction called "The Condition" where, in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning. For three straight days, I was completely riveted by this fantastic saga, which begins in 1900 when a 12-year-old girl from Kerala's ancient Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to the village of Parambil for an arranged marriage to a 40-year-old man she meets for the first time at the altar. From this inauspicious beginning, this young girl - and future matriarch known as Big Ammachi - lives an extraordinary long life, witnessing revolutionary political change and social upheaval as well as experiencing great passion, miraculous wonders and devastating tragedies.