Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

One of my favorite lines in the book come from Hema as she is having a near death experience:

“As she bent over the child she realized that the tragedy of death had to do entirely with what was left unfulfilled. She was ashamed that such a simple insight should have eluded her all these years. Make something beautiful of your life.”p64

Sister Mary Joseph Praise dies giving birth to twin boys Marion and Shiva in Ethiopia at Missing, a hospital for the poor. The boys are raised by Hema and Gosh because the boys father Dr. Stone leaves and never returns. Cutting for Stone is a story of love and betrayal, political turmoil and the human will to live. The story takes place in India, Ethiopia and America (the Bronx) over many decades.

There are too many medical references sometimes it feels like the book was written for medical students. I liked the story but I did not love it.