I read the foreword written by Abraham Verghese to When Breath Becomes Air by Dr. Paul Kalanithi, and it left a lasting impression on me. As a doctor, confronting death may be part of daily life, yet the emotional weight it carries is never routine. Death is not merely an end; it creates a void for those who continue to live beyond the person who has passed.
It took me two days to read Verghese’s 38-page narrative. I found myself dividing the reading experience into two emotional phases: the story before the death in the family and the story after it. This division shaped my understanding of the narrative’s tone and depth.
The story revolves around an Indian surgeon living in the United States with his wife and their only son, Ravi. As a child of Indian immigrants, Ravi struggles with questions of identity and belonging—a theme commonly explored in diasporic writing, including the works of Kiran Desai. Verghese poignantly observes, “To be the child of Indian parents meant you also had a secret self. Like having brown skin, you had no choice.” This line captures the quiet duality of Ravi’s existence.
Ravi also bears the weight of parental expectations. His parents envision a future for him as a surgeon, following in his father’s footsteps, even though his own passion lies in playing tennis. His mother’s words—“Kanna! … You know it’s your destiny to be a surgeon like your appa, don’t you?”—reflect the subtle yet powerful pressures placed upon him.
Amid these tensions, Ravi finds solace in his friendship with his American neighbour, Billy. The two boys are inseparable, often described as twins. As Ravi’s mother remarks, “Geography and fate brought you two together… In your past life, you were twins.” Their bond offers Ravi a sense of understanding and belonging that he struggles to find within his own family.
Another significant figure in the narrative is Mr. McGilicutty, a retired stockbroker and widower who shares a close relationship with Ravi’s family. He is both a confidant and an elder figure—someone Ravi’s father consults for financial advice, and whom Ravi’s mother both respects and gently manages, advising him on everyday matters. His presence adds warmth and depth to the family’s social world.
After the death, the narrative becomes quieter and more introspective. The focus shifts to how each character processes grief and learns to live with absence. The story captures the subtle, enduring ways in which loss reshapes relationships and everyday life, emphasizing not just the event of death, but the long, silent work of continuing afterward.
Abscond is available for free through a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Drawn by the compelling writing style and ideas of Abraham Verghese, I have now begun reading his much-discussed and widely reviewed novel, The Covenant of Water.
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