February 3, 2011

Cutting For Stone, My February Book Pick

Unlike some novels that get off to a slow start and take a few chapters before I find myself committed to the story, reading Cutting For Stone,  by Abraham Verghese, left me fascinated and connected after the very first pages. The story begins in 1954 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia when conjoined twin boys are born. Their mother, a nun, who was hiding her pregnancy, dies of complications. The twins were successfully separated and were raised by doctors in the hospital where they were born. One of the twins acts as the book’s narrator.

Verghese is also a physician and a professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This may explain why his descriptions of surgery are so vivid. That vividness appealed to my curious nature, but others may find it disturbing. Putting that and Dr. Verghese’s credentials aside, Cutting For Stone is a beautiful piece of fiction filled with wonderful characters. I must comment that parts of the story contain numerous medical terms, many of them unfamiliar, which made The Sony Reader dictionary feature especially useful when reading this book!

If you don’t already have one, you should consider buying a Reader for yourself or as a Valentine’s Day gift for someone special. Sony is offering $50 off the Pocket Edition now through February 14th!

Also, be sure to tune in to the Hallmark Channel today at 10:00AM to see my interview with Dr. Abraham Verghese, the author of Cutting For Stone.

.