Book Review | An immersive saga spread across three generations

This poignant novel is a magnum opus that has twists and turns and deep undercurrents like the river flowing through the picturesque Parambil estate in God’s own country. There are a host of unique characters – a one-eyed elephant, farm labourers, toddy tappers, caretakers, matchmakers, gregarious aunts, beautiful Celeste, Dr Digby, JoJo, Baby Mol, Philipose, Elsie, Shamuel, Joppan, Lenin and Mariamma, who come and go seamlessly across geographical borders and three generations in this unputdownable book. Be it the crowded MMM Hospital or the hillside St. Bridget’s leprosarium, Dr Abraham takes you on an epic journey of caste discrimination, family heirlooms, and ‘us’ versus ‘them’. The writer and his research team’s attention to details of a bygone era – Cuticura Talcum Powder, shipped ice-cream slabs, earthen pots for fish curries, and breathtaking views of Kerala’s backwaters, lotus ponds, English rose gardens and Triumph joyrides, transport you to Parambil, Madras, and England in a jiffy. The Covenant of Water painstakingly chronicles the ups and downs of the Parambil family across three generations.