Cutting for Stone

This book does great as an historical fiction novel, but it lacks in other areas like plot and characterization. The novel takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in New York City, and somewhat in India. The author does a fantastic job of transporting the reader to a small hospital in Addis Ababa during the era of Haile Selassie. I greatly appreciate the wonderful details of the daily lives of the doctors in the hospital. Basically, the story is about two twin brother doctors who work in this Ethiopian hospital, with most of the focus on one twin, Marion. The point of view in the novel is that of Marion.

However, the great settings of the novel are often overshadowed by poor characterization and unbelievable plotting. When I was finished with this novel, I cared not a bit about the characters (except Sister Mary Joseph Praise, she's the only one I felt I had some understanding of). In fact, I greatly disliked Marion and Shiva both. I could not relate to them nor could I relate to Genet, their childhood friend. And even though I couldn't relate to them personally, I also could not understand them. I could not see (sane) justification for their actions.

I read this book for my bookclub, and after some discussion, I've concluded that perhaps these characters are so unlike me and so difficult to understand because they are doctors, which I am not. Not only are they doctors, but they are willing to work in a small hospital in Ethiopia with little to no glory or fame. And maybe I just can't relate to that kind of choice at this point in my life. It takes someone very special and very unusual to make such a life sacrifice, and I greatly admire those who do. I'm willing to accept that's part of my inability to relate to the characters.

But, I didn't understand Marion much at all, which makes for a really difficult read of this book. Here are some spoiler questions that have left me stumped:

Why would Marion believe seriously that Genet would save herself for him? What on earth did Sister Mary Joseph Praise see in Dr. (Papa) Stone? Why was Marion so cruel to Genet when they met in NYC? ... etc.

I enjoyed this book for the historical setting, but I didn't care for the characters or the story overall. I know a lot more about Ethiopia now, which is great, and I've got this book to thank for that.