cutting for stone - abraham verghese

i haven't finished this one yet, but so far so good... or actually, so far so excellent.

the story starts off primarily in addis ababa, ethiopia and then migrates to nairobi and then to new york.  what is most interesting is the book's historical backdrop of ethiopia's political turmoil in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  it chronicles emperor haile selassie I's rule over ethiopia and  his eventual fall from grace in the eyes of (some of) his people.  (sidenote: the rastafari movement is centered around haile selassie.  followers of the movement believe that haile selassie is another incarnation of God).

but aside from the historical aspect of the book, it is masterfully written.  verghese, who is currently a professor at stanford's school of medicine, weaves together his knowledge of medicine and his mastery over the english language.  he follows the lives of twin boys, marion and shiva, born to an indian nun and an english doctor who work together in a mission hospital in addis ababa.  after their mother dies in childbirth and their father disappears, the two are raised by two indian doctors, hema and ghosh, who also work at the mission hospital.  although at first the boys are inseparable, they slowly begin developing their distinct, different identities that eventually separate them.

what really makes this book excellent is the development of each of the characters.  verghese hones in on the emotions and personalities of his characters.  you know that hema, the twins' adopted mother, is strong, stubborn, maybe even a feminist, but she is also fiercely protective of the twins and loves them as her own.  you see loyalty and commitment grow the strong bonds of family between people who don't share the same blood.  the sense of family in hema and ghosh's home is admirable.

it is storytelling at its best.