Wow! Cutting for Stone took me on a ride that I never expected. Twin boys born to a nun who died in childbirth, deserted by their father and raised by loving doctors, Hema and Ghosh. The novel is filled with rich characters who come to life within its pages. Shiva and Marion, twins, mirror images of one another both follow different paths in life.
Sometimes I thought this story dragged on. The medical terminology and descriptions were often cumbersome for me. One thing was clear however, the author was precise in his descriptions of surgical procedures along with the history and culture of Ethiopia. But the brother's walk through a life of love, loss and betrayal was something I couldn't stop reading, something special.
I am torn however on how to rate this book. The blood and trauma lingered on too long. That Marion met everyone he'd known back home in Addis Ababa while studying in the United States seemed a bit contrived. And that he had an evil streak shown by the things he did after breaking into his estranged father's apartment was out of character. But I cried as the story ended. The sign of a well written story of real characters is that it can bring the reader's emotions to the surface. Cutting for Stone did that brilliantly.
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