Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese – first published 2009
This is a great book. Marion and Shiva Stone are illegitimate conjoined twin boys who are born at Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa in 1954. Their mother is an Indian nun who dies giving birth to them and their father is a British doctor who leaves the hospital on the day they are born. They are brought up by 2 other doctors at Missing Hospital. A betrayal splits them apart. The book is populated with the people who live and work at Missing caring for and treating the poorest people in Addis and achieving remarkable results with very little equipment or money. The history of the period, which included the removal of the monarchy and its replacement with a Marxist military government and Eritrea’s fight for independence is told well. My only criticism is that there is too much medical detail in places, particularly about various gynaecological procedures. 9.5/10
is this biographical or pure fiction - it sounds like an incredible story?
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