The Covenant of Water: An Oprah's Book Club Selection
May 2023 · Atlantic Books
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OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
'One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!' Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere.
At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.
A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
'One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!' Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere.
At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship.
A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years.
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
'One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!' Oprah Winfre...
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Ratings and reviews
52 reviews
jaisy thomas
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July 19, 2026
The Covenant of Water is a truly mesmerizing and deeply touching novel. It is a magnificent narrative that stays with the reader long after the final page. The transformation of a teenage village girl into the revered Big Ammachi is portrayed with extraordinary depth and grace, capturing our hearts throughout the journey Abraham Verghese paints a picturesque portrait of Kuttanad, where nature is not merely a backdrop but a living presence that breathes with the characters.
Allison Picton
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September 14, 2025
Hard to put down! I read this whilst travelling through Kerala and could absolutely relate to much of the book even though it was written about a different time. Loved it!
Hilda Guerin
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March 16, 2024
interesting but too many details that made the story too complicated for enjoyment.
About the author
Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the author of books including My Own Country and The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was translated into more than twenty languages and is being adapted for film by Anonymous Content. Verghese was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2016, has received five honorary degrees, and lives and practices medicine in Stanford, California where he is the Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Abraham Verghese is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the author of books including My Own Country and The Tennis Partner. His most recent book, Cutting for Stone, spent 107 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It was tran...
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