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Grove Press

The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)

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OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SUBJECT OF A SIX- PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREYFrom the New York Times- bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret“One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”—Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.comThe Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of the major word-of- mouth bestseller Cutting for Stone, which has sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States alone and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years.Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this unforgettable new beginning, the young girl—and future matriarch, known as Big Ammachi—will witness unthinkable changes over the span of her extraordinary life, full of joy and triumph as well as hardship and loss, her faith and love the only constants.A shimmering evocation of a bygone India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the difficulties undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. It is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press


Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 2, 2023


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 736 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802162177


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 75


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.02 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 2 x 9.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #18,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3 in Medical Fiction (Books) #19 in Family Life Fiction (Books) #58 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#3 in Medical Fiction (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Two Verghese books in a week - I must be nuts!
Format: Kindle
I never write book reviews. Until now. My house is a wreck. Let me explain: I just read two Abraham Verghese books back to back in a week. If you know that author, you understand why I’ve accomplished little else. I just finished his latest, his magnum opus, The Covenant of Water. I had a love-hate relationship with this grand novel. The 765 pages required a big commitment but since I am a voracious reader, that wasn’t a problem. The love part was because of Verghese’s outstanding writing. His characters and settings practically jump off the pages. And thanks to the authors everyday occupation as a physician, I now know more about anatomy than I need or want to know! The writing evokes a curiosity that leads to Googling maps of India and researching Indian dissident groups and even looking up the bones of the body. At one point I was ready to book a flight to India. This was getting dangerous. The hate part relates to the same thing: you fall in love with one character and the author moves on to another seemingly unrelated one. Wait, you cry. Don’t stop there! Well, be patient dear reader. All is not lost or even what it seems. The story is one of things lost and found, of overcoming suffering and moving on with life - themes most of us can relate to in some way. The shifts in time and place and characters caused some confusion, especially when I was listening to the audiobook. This is a book you need to read - I mean really read and pay attention. It is not an easy read: more than once I found myself wondering what the heck that has to do with where this is going. But, true to form, Verghese wraps it up neatly in the last 100 pages. He does go around Robin Hood’s barn to get there, but in the end it is a very satisfying conclusion: one that earns it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my book list and one of my top five for the year. His previous novel, Cutting for Stone, tops my list for the year. This one was close for that honor. And it was worth the journey. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2023 by Liddlelf
    • Beauty that defies description
Format: Kindle
‘“We’re so blessed, aren’t we?” She marvels that a man who has suffered so much can feel this way.’ (p624) This is a tale of a large, extended family along with the villagers and outsiders who touch their lives. It spans almost eighty years, most of which encompass the lifetime of the matriarch who is the rock supporting and sustaining everyone around her. Hardship, fear, and sadness mix with joy and wonder; grief, anger, and despair collide with hope, faith, and resolve. Mistakes, misfortune, and egregious conduct result in unspeakable tragedies. So yes – in many ways the characters’ lives are difficult, and there are portions of the book that have a decidedly dark, bitter tone. But this novel has a beauty that defies description. The prose and the story soar. Expect plenty of multi-layered mysteries and surprises, several unforgettable characters, and deep, sometimes searing commentary on many important matters: colonialism; the caste system; gender roles and differences; uprisings and revolutions; assault; disabilities. The author also delivers thoughtful insights regarding family, our obligations to others, and what it means to experience a full life well lived. In my view, however, his most important message is a compelling challenge to all of us: if you want to change the world, roll up your sleeves and change your neighborhood. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2025 by DJ
    • Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)
Format: Hardcover
A friend (not Oprah!) recommended the book to me. Overall, I was captivated by the writing style and the flow. At 700+ pages, you know it's a long book, so I don't understand the people who reviewed it saying "it was too long". When you cover 77 years of time, you except something of length and depth. Detail is important as the stories do intertwine. Verghese does a good job of incorporating medical, cultural, religious and political points and etail into the book. The use of some Indian phrases that repeat and become a reference point is easy enough to navigate and helped me hold on to details chapters down the road. For me, it was a fast-ish read. Usually 100 pages per sitting. I did put the book down for a day or so at the end of chapter 46. In the first 46, there is marriage, disease, death, famine, etc, but it was a simple enough sounding request that automatically gave me pause. Whether the author framed it that way for a reader reaction, or it was just my own, it felt heavy. Inadvertently, it would become heavy. IF I have a criticism of the book it is closer to the end. Digby, a character, condenses part of the book into a a page or two, trying to tie up things and literally helping the reader along by helping them remember plot points like it is some Cliff Notes version. Maybe I retain things better, but it annoyed me. The other being that there is a possibility that a father MIGHT have been going to Madras to find someone he thought long dead. Even for all else that has gone on, THAT supposition would be a huge stretch - and highly accurate for a lot of unknowns to the character. Still, I liked the book. I liked the author and his style. I don't care if Oprah liked it or not. I'd rather not have her name on the cover, but what are you gonna do? ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2024 by R. M. Ettinger
    • Verghese's Masterpiece
Format: Hardcover
This is the masterpiece of Verghese's fabulous books, which elucidate the practice of medicine, the acute diagnostic skill and cross-cultural awareness, the recognition of the social determinants of health and suffering, illness, infectious disease, and intergenerational issues of people with diseases which have familial roots tangled into them. Each of his books is worth reading, deeply satisfying, and good at giving us deeper awareness and grasp of the role and capability of a good doctor. I have read it twice, in order to get to the tiny details I may have ignored in my desire to get the whole story. It is exquisite. The compassion, the humor, the curiosity, the depth of character development, are all a wonderful part of his ability to write this tremendous book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2026 by 2bpoet

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