The Covenant of Water

Description

The Covenant of Water is a deeply moving, epic family saga that unfolds across three generations of a South Indian family cursed by a mysterious affliction—one person drowns in each generation, despite a profound fear of water. Spanning from 1900 to 1977, and set in the lush, richly detailed landscape of Kerala, this novel is a tapestry of love, loss, medicine, tradition, and transformation.

At the heart of the story is Big Ammachi, a girl married off at 12 who grows to become the powerful matriarch of the Parambil estate. As India transforms around her—from British rule to independence—so does her family, marked by the devastating “Condition” and the quest to understand it. We follow her descendants, weaving together themes of faith, caste, colonialism, and medicine, especially through the eyes of characters who become doctors, patients, and healers.