I was a little wary of reading this book. I had heard really good things about it but it looked pretty rough, so I hesitated.
I loved it. Parts of it are pretty rough, but it's still a really good book. It's beautifully written and I adore Verghese's command of the English language. It's written in first person which, normally, is not my favorite. I find that point of view to be very limiting and, normally, it shows. In this case, the narrator felt free to talk about things that happened when he either wasn't present or was unconscious. And it worked. I would have expected this to drive me crazy, but it really didn't. I'm not sure what sort of magic Verghese worked to make that happen but extra props to him!
The story is about a lot of things. I think that, at it's heart, it's about the relationships between people and the things that can drive them apart and the things that keep them together. My favorite thing here is that place really isn't an issue. We meet characters of all races and nationalities who fall in love, who form friendships, who form the tightest of bonds. I love that. It also awakened the traveler in me as the main character marvels at the differences between different places. Time to start saving up for my next trip!
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