I started listening to 'The Covenant of Water' (on Audible) almost 3 months ago. Like many other books (or any projects) I've undertaken in the last few years, I slouched through it. I didn't respect it enough and give it the time and effort a good book really deserves. And when I did start, I was extremely put off even angered by the way Abraham Verghese quite casually wrote about and romanticized underage sex in the beginning with little Mariamma. Although he was very delicate with her fears and feelings when she was 12, he somehow figured she stopped being a child when she was 16?! I understand that the Parambil story takes place in the early 1900s, that the circumstances and the plot are all a product of their time; but I also think as an author who has the power of influence, he has the obligation to reference history as it was without glorifying it, without making his writing rosy and nostalgic for a past where some things were considered normal, while infact they are wildly inappropriate (now and then). It's not that the author is incapable of this fine distinction, I found his dialogue on caste and the abhorrence of the girl child very well done. I immediately sided with Big Ammachi, I wanted to slap Philipose when he stepped back from his baby girl. I was most pleasantly surprised when Joppan-in a very nuanced but strong way- brought up the privileged oversight of his bestfriend and his family towards the pulayars' contribution. Those were honestly my favourite parts of the whole book. I felt like the author failed me monumentally not once but twice by allowing the 'much older man-very young woman' dynamic to play out, seeking the reader's validation of the couple with emphasis on the girl's consent. Either time it DID NOT sit well with me. Was little Mariamma really old enough to consent? And isn't it the older person's obligation, I'd argue duty, to reject such advances? How young is really old enough for a man stop to seeing a child as a child? And how much age gap is really acceptable before the man finds it creepy? Especially when you knew the girl as a 7-8yo child and you were in your 20s? I felt for both the girls, wanting to run into the book and save them.
When I decided on this book, one of the reasons I picked it was it's length. I wanted to have something I could listen to in parts, over a long period of time while I'm onboard. I was confident I wouldn't be able to get through it at home, I mean it was 34h worth of content. However, the stunning narration, the little sprinkles of jokes interspersed throughout the book, the ease with which the author changed accents, the way the characters grew on me, the slow-but-never-boring-for-even-a-second story extended over 3 generations of the same family, the same house and village, all made it impossible for me to put it down. I was so into it, I'd spend hours listening to the book throughout my day. I was completely and easily transported to 'pandathe' Kerala within minutes. I particularly loved the pre-independence details, the development of characters, the depth in which 'The Condition' and 'Leprosy' or any medicine in this book was discussed (I'm a nut for medicine).
I see why it is such an acclaimed book and Abraham Verghese's un-heavy, thorough, well-rounded writing deserves it. Despite my aversion to some parts, I'd still count this one among the top books I've had the pleasure to read.
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