A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel—an enthralling family saga of Africa and America, doctors and patients, exile and home.

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics—their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

An unforgettable journey into one man’s remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others.

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One of the best books I've read in a long time. A wonderful story with very interesting and likeable characters. Plus, I even liked the ending :).

This is my choice for the "Favourite book I read in 2011" roundabout - even though I didn't technically read this book in the year 2011 but shortly before (December 2010) :). I hope you won't mind - I chose this book because I loved it so much and because all my favourite books in 2011 are quite popular and I was afraid that most of you would already know those (which would have been a shame, right?).
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the book as much as I did. Have fun!

The book has now started its journey to LilyKlip. Further participants:

- boekentrol, Netherlands
- dutch-book, Netherlands
- marsala, UK
- elstaplador, UK
- earthcaroleanne, UK
- ahabraken, Austria
- Annimanni, Finland
- Franaloe, Switzerland
- LiniP, Germany
- Grovalskii, Germany

... and back home to me, please!

As interesting as this book sounds I just had to many other books here at the moment to even attempt to take on this 500 page volume. There just wasn't any way I could have finished it in a half decent time. As I don't want to stall it I will pass it on to Boekentrol now. Hope you enjoy it!

And off it goes!

This book arrived safely in my mailbox today.
I will consider this the roundabout's February book. Will read it as soon as I get to it.

Thank you for sharing, Qantaga. I am curious about this book, since it is not one I'd normaly pick myself.

When I recieved this book I wondered if I would ever make it through so many pages in time. It is not a book I'd normally pick for myself: set in Africa, about family life, love, betrayal etc. it has all ingredients of which I say noooo.... not really for me.
Well, it is a ringbook and I have this opinion that (if only half possible) a book will not go out the door unread, unless I really can't get through the first 100 - 150 pages. So I'm giving it a try.

I started yesterday an I'm having a hard time putting down this book. I thought I'd just let you know that I just flew through the first 100+ pages and I love it. Thank you so much for sharing, Qantaga!

A review / my humble opinion on the book will follow later, after reading.

What a great book!

I loved this book. Despite it was sad at times, a slow book, it read very fast.
The characters were very different. I tend to like the good characters more than the bad ones, although I usually have more mixed feelings about characters.

When I finish a book, it is usually 'closed', reviewed and then I move on to the next one. With this one I tried that too, but it doesn't work very well. I keep chewing on the story, on all lines, the people, what they did (and why), even on what the writer wants me to read in his book. (Normally I don't care about that a lot.)

Apart from that what found was, that the book is a bit off balance: lots of time and words are spent on the first years of ShivaMarion, the twins. Their teenage time is relatively short and then the focus goes along with Marion to the US, where he becomes a surgeon. Shiva and the others that stay behind become very unfocussed, untill all knots are tied together again in an act of selfishness of courage, mixed with fatherly love and a bit of forgiveness.

What I liked very much is, that the different characters are well drawn: very believable, very human with all their emotions, trics and habits. The way things went, I was so angry with Stone at first, but then, as the story went on and he was mentioned only sideways, he disappeared more or less from my thoughts.
The big events in Ethiopia, description of the habits (good or not so good) made the book even better to read.

Thank you so much for sharing this book, Qantaga!

Recommended for thos who like the (family)saga kind of book.

On its way to marsala, the next stop in this roundabout. Safe travels!
Marsala, I hope you enjoy this bok as much as I did. Happy reading!

It's funny to read the previous comments, because this would be exactly the kind of book I would pick up! Can't wait to read it.

I absolutely loved this book. It was moving, sad, well written. Just amazing!

Will pass this book on to elstaplador at the dublin bookcrossing convention.

Received by hand from marsala at the Dublin convention. Looking forward to reading...

Another one in the BookCrossing Favourites of 2011 ring, and I'm in two minds about it. Set largely in a mission hospital in Ethiopia, the story of conjoined twins raised in an adopted family following their mother's death and their father's disappearance, moving and aggravating by turns. On the one hand, I really didn't need to read fifty pages of birth trauma (not to mention various other gory chapters through the book); on the other, it has left me feeling generally more hopeful about the world and (as often seems to be the case with my reading these days) has demonstrated to me how little history I know outside my own bubble.

It has some interesting things to say about family, race, nation and class, and some horribly unexamined assumptions about gender (I'm not sure how much of this is the narrator and how much... isn't). The more I think about it, I am really quite angry at how the infliction of FGM was gendered female, and the healing of fistulas was gendered male.

On the whole I would recommend it, but (and this is a significant 'but') only if you can stomach the narrative of men knowing better than women what ought to be done with women's bodies, and certainly not if you have a birth trauma or surgery trigger.

Sending on to earthcaroleanne.

Arrived yesterday and my goodness we are flying through these. I think this is meant to be my July book! And I haven't read the June one yet. Gathered a little backlog with being on holiday in April but I won't feel pressured at the speed they are coming through.

I could take Boekentrol's first paragraph and put it here word for word. This book didn't sound like it was for me. I started reading it and I still didn't think it was for me. It was a slow read. The bits I actually enjoyed at the beginning of the book were the gory medical sections that elstaplador didn't like. However for me the second half of the book was a huge improvement. I was really quite moved by the end of the story.

On it's way in the ring.

Looking forward to the next book in the favourites RR!

I enjoyed this book very much - very well composed, fascinating caracters and a book I would have never found on my own. Thanks for sharing!

I am sending it off to Finland today.

The book's with me now, thanks :) And it definitely looks like my kind of book! I'm afraid it will be a couple of weeks at least before I can get to it.

Well, this was supposed to me my kind of a book exactly, but I just can't get into it. I've been trying for weeks and haven't got past page 59. Time to pass it on. Sorry!

It's here, the one but last book from this year's roundabout. Looking forward to reading this one!

I am sorry to say that I have not finished this book. Reading the previous JEs I had high expectations, but it turns out that I did not have enough patience to read through the endless descriptions and detours. After 150 pages I still did not get into the story, and I gave up. Until not so long ago I would never not finish a book, but since I have a lot less time for reading lately I am becoming more picky. Sorry!

I've sent it off to LiniP.

The book arrived here yesterday and I have already started reading it. So far I like it.

I loved this book, probably every page of it and I looked forward to coming back to it, when I had the time to read in the evenings. Being married to a surgeon from India, I could probably relate to a lot of topics and the book also made me understand a little more about surgery. I liked the book so much I bought a German copy for my brother-in-law for Christmas. I hope he will like it as he is also a surgeon. Thanks for this wonderful choice. The book will be able to travel shortly.

The book has been forwarded to the next reader.

Wow, big fat book! But luckily, this is the first day of my 10 day christmas break. Perfect timing for a book like this! It sounds like my kind of book.

Amazing book! I loved every page of it. The style reminds me of "A suitable boy", which I also loved.

Thanks for sharing this book, Qantaqa! You will have it back within a few days. :-)

will drop the book into the mailbox on my way to work tomorrow

Welcome home, dear book! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and comments and for treating the book so well!