Book Review

 

Cutting for Stone was a fascinating read. Set in Addis Abba, Ethiopia; New York City, and again in Addis Ababa, the story is about twin boys who are orphaned. When their mother, a Catholic nun, dies in childbirth, their father, a surgeon, disappears.

However, it was hard for me to get into the book. After the first part of the story leading up to the twin's birth, and heartbreaking consequences, I put the book down for a couple of weeks. The author had ended the life of a character I liked.

Caution. This 667 page book loaded with medical terms, procedures, and culture does not make a quick read at the beach.

Maybe I was being too judgmental. With four and a half stars on Amazon, I picked it back up.

Glad I did!

The twin boys, Marion and Shiva Stone, have a preternatural connection that I found fascinating. Their lives are peppered with challenges and setbacks. There are tensions from life and death situations around them, and a complex childhood love interest. The twins are exposed to unusual medical conditions that eventually determine their careers as doctors. And political unrest with the changing regimes in Ethiopia heighten the drama.

The key overriding message in the book, is that even if we don't have a wonderful blood-relational family, another human, a group or a village of people can become that missing piece in our lives to support us, validate us and love us.

And we can do the same for others.

Enjoy the read, and do let me know what you think about it after you finish the novel.

Make it a great day,

Judy