This enthralling epic was worth the decade plus wait since Cutting for Stone. As a doctor - I enjoyed the clinical color- and medical accuracy- when the characters have recognizable illnesses whose diagnoses rely on the history and the physical findings rather than sophisticated technology. Medical students will learn about the sequelae of leprosy in the pre-antibiotic era, the clinical presentations of goiter, cretinism, typhoid fever, obstetrical complications, maternal hemorrhage, domestic violence and even the consequences of medical error-but never in a pedantic way/ the reader won’t feel like they’re being instructed. True also for students of history interested how Madras was impacted by colonialism, then WWII, and later how communism offered a violent path to disrupt casteism and oppressive social hierarchies is Southern India.

I strongly recommend the audio version of this book, read by the author himself, who displays not only acting talent, but facility with a wide array of accents: from Kerala, to Glasgow, to Corpus Christi, Texas. And through it all we see the truth of our shared humanity: our tragic defects and flaws as well as the forgiveness- the majestic creativity and spiritual resilience that allow us to survive the struggle, to repair ourselves and to find meaning in our existence.