Literary Fiction · Free kit
The Covenant of Water
From 1900 to 1977, a Saint Thomas Christian family on a Kerala estate called Parambil lives with a private terror: in every generation, at least one person drowns. A twelve-year-old bride grows into the matriarch known as Big Ammachi; a Glasgow surgeon washes up in Madras with burned hands; a granddaughter opens a skull and finally gives the family curse a medical name. Verghese's novel is a long, watery hymn to faith, caste, monsoon country, and the stubborn work of medicine.
“This is the covenant of water: that they're all linked inescapably by their acts of commission and omission, and no one stands alone.”
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Plan your meeting
The Covenant of Water This or That
Answer in under three seconds. No wrong answers — only revealing ones.
1 / 40
Rapid fire (60 seconds)
Read these aloud as fast as the group can shout answers.
- 1. Monsoon on the tiles or Madras heat in a ward?
- 2. Filter coffee or Cardamom chai?
- 3. Banana chips or Mango at the table?
- 4. Canal boat or Bullock cart?
- 5. Oil lamp at dusk or Radio in the sitting room?
- 6. Appam and stew or Payasam for later?
- 7. River swim at dawn or Well water on your face?
- 8. Church minnu or Hospital stethoscope?
- 9. Jackfruit shade or Coconut grove?
- 10. One long novel or One short stay in casualty?