Shiva-I let him be distant, impenetrable, because that is the nature of his character. Thomas Stone is both more alien and familiar-a doctor caught up in the illusion that work can redeem his character failings. Hema, too, is someone I deeply understood-or understand as well as a male writing a novel can understand a woman.

He is the consummate internist too, which I also aspire to be. He is essentially fair, kind, and eminently faithful, a family man, and above all patient-all the qualities I would like to have myself, but don’t always. I think Ghosh is the character whose emergence and whose full blossoming I loved most. Though Marion tells the story, we become deeplyinvolved in each person’s struggles, not just Marion’s.Which characters did you feel closest to while writingthe book? And why did others feel more distant?Ĭharacters, by the way, do not start out rounded. One of the most striking elements of Cutting for Stone is the intimacy with not just one character, but an entirecast. The debut novel features characters that are astonishingly real, and it is easy to see how they might lead their creator in unexpected directions. His creative process involves a lot of reworking, but it is well worth the effort, as proven by his latest work, Cutting for Stone. As the characters develop, Verghese sprints after them page by page, and they often lead him astray. Verghese’s characters don’t arrive in his mind fully formed. In each of his books, Verghese explores sickness and healing, focusing on the human aspects of the medical field. Verghese has written two memoirs and one novel, all New York Times bestsellers. Writing is a lens to view medicine and the world, and that lens is intricate, hopeful, and compassionate.

An Interview with Abraham Verghese, by Celia Johnsonįor Abraham Verghese, it is not a question of being a doctor or a writer.

Books written by abraham verghese