Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

My book club read this in January so I decided it was time to write my review. I've taken awhile to write this because it's the kind of book that stays with you after you're done.

This story defines family and brotherhood while shining a light on Ethiopian health care issues. It begins with a nun dying during child birth in Ethiopia. Immediate blasphemy got me hooked into the story. She has 2 boys, Shiva and Marion, who are conjoined at the head but separated at birth. Their dad, a surgeon, runs away in grief leaving the twins in the care of the hospital's gynecologist.

I was fascinated with the way the author developed the many characters throughout the story, especially the way in which the boys become men without a jarring shift in voice. I could recommend it for the writing alone...it made me cry twice and gasp out loud.

This story counts as Literary Fiction for my Eclectic Reader Challenge!