Cutting For Stone

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Most of the novel is set in Post WWII Ethiopia during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie. Factual tidbits are inserted about attempted coups but the main text of the book follows the life of Marion Stone and his identical twin brother Shiva. Born to a Carmelite nun that hid her pregnancy until birth was imminent. The father, Thomas Stone, a brilliant surgeon abandons the boys as he is seized by grief as Sister Mary Joseph Praise dies in childbirth.

The boys are raised by Hema and Ghosh. Both are doctors that worked with the children's biological parents at "Missing" (Mission) Hospital. Hema and Ghosh love the boys as if they were their natural born children. Both boys take an interest in becoming doctors. They are mentored by their 'parents' at Missing. When Marion gets falsely accused of being part of a group that planned a hijacking he is forced to flee the country that he loves so dearly. He flees to the United States and finishes his medical work to become a surgeon; but when his life is threatened by illness he needs the help of his twin brother and estranged father.

I loved this book from beginning to end. It is definitely a worthwhile read.

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