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Archive 08-19 GR Discussions
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Cutting for Stone
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The hospital name which is really Mission Hospital is a play on words and understanding. It would seem as if many of the doctors and patients are missing things in their life. (i.e. the boys their natural parents, the patients the chance at a full life etc.)
I don't think the boys are mirrors of one another. I do think they they are opposites in many ways as all siblings are but do share the uniqueness of their birthright and common experiences. We are, I believe led to like Marion as narrator of their existence. Shiva is a person caught up with his own whims and desires that ultimately lead him to the betrayal of his brother with the woman Marion loves.
I liked to ask anyone if they were bothered by the author always referring to the mother as Sister Mary Joseph Praise. Why not just Mary or Sister Mary or Sister Praise. I myself found it grating.



Do you think the title has a double meaning because the father's last name is stone?

I feel like this is really marion's story. For others that read it, what do you think?

I believe that this was Marion's story. I loved the idea of a meaning behind the name Missing (Mission) Hospital! The mispronunciation and it's relation to what the characters were "missing" in their lives is a correlation I didn't pick up on until I read this thread. It's so true!

I am just so happy that others think it as great as I did!





I loved Hema and Ghosh's relationship. They were so incredibly well suited, and really drew out the best in each other. I was in tears when he passed away, and again with Shiva.
I am not at all a "medical person" so when I started the book I wasn't sure if I would make it through all of the lengthy and in-depth medical descriptions. But it was actually extremely interesting. I also found it fascinating how Marion (and other foreign-born doctors) fit into the American medical system. I don't know for sure, but it seemed to me to be a pretty accurate portrayal, and honestly it gives me a whole new respect for medical personnel who come here from other countries.

and what of the "experience" between her and shiva? selfish on whose part?


and what of the "expe..."
I thought it was very selfish on both Genet and Shiva's parts, but moreso for Shiva. I hold my siblings to a higher standard than I do others.
I thought Marion's obsession with Genet as a teenager was believable, but I would have thought he should've been over her and moved on by the time they crossed paths in New York.



almost done, 100 pages to go!

I believe that this is a family's story. While Marion is our narrator and guide, the tale is a woven mat of choices each of the members make over their years together. Between them all, there is betrayal, selfishness highlighted by selflessness, redemption, suffering and great celebration. Some of the members were more successful than others. Marion speaking of Genet, after learning of her death towards the end, was very telling of this whole theme:
"She died chasing greatness and never saw it each time it was in her hand, so she kept seeking it elsewhere, but never understood the work required to get it or to keep it."
Family is work. Anywho, I loved having been part of their (ficitional) lives and feeling the extremes of emotion that are evoked when we love.
Such a fabulous story. It taught me about forgiveness, its true meaning, which is not easy for me to hear right now. I will always treasure the story of the slippers.
And while I ate up every medical bit in the book and wished for more, I wonder how others enjoyed or did not enjoy that part of the book? Did it detract from the story for you?
Oh! and I just had a thought that may explain why Verghese always has the characters refer to Sister by her whole name of Sister Mary Joseph Praise...
While it is true that she and Matron were the only nuns at Missing Hospital, Sister had come from a convent of many nuns. It is the Catholic tradition that when a woman enters, she take a new name to further cement and symbolize her new life. Piety being what it is and saints names being a smaller pool from which to choose, many nuns choose the name Mary. But then how to distinguish one from the other? Hence, the popularity of sisters having more than one name and being known by the whole name.
In our Sister Mary Joseph Praise's case, the whole moniker simply stayed with her as she moved from one continent to another.


i thought the medical portions were handled well with enough explanation given so that a layman could understand. i wasn't quite sure why verghese included the very descriptive vasectomy scene. but most of the other medical jargon seemed relevant.




and what of the "expe..."
I believed in Marion’s feelings for Genet throughout the entire story. I think he wanted, so badly, to have a relationship similar to Hema and Ghosh’s, especially considering the unknown relationship between his birth parents. I also think it is believable that Marion still had feelings for Genet when they met in the US - at this point in his life he was still a virgin, did not have closure with Genet or Shiva, was homesick, and had a limited social life due to his studies. Also, Marion’s Type A personality, focused-stubborn-predictable-ambitious-controlling, guaranteed that he would follow every pursuit, love or career, to the end.
I found Genet to be more selfish than Shiva. I could understand Shiva’s betrayal more than Genet’s, because he was selfish in every aspect of his life and he read more like a robot than a real person. Shiva did not really understand feeling pain. Genet, on the other hand, was a lost soul who had the opportunity to have happiness in life because of Marion, but she gave that up time and time again in search for something better. This made her betrayal worse. Genet is one of those people who chases drama at the expense of anyone in her path. I loved Genet’s story though and found myself wanting to know Genet’s point of view more than Shiva’s.
I just finished this book last night and there is still so much to ponder. I don’t think this was Marion’s story, even though he was the narrator, but a story based on all the characters involved; a story of relationships. Verghese is a brilliant writer who has a gift for portraying personalities and emotions via words.
Some questions to start out with, what did you think of the name of Missing Hospital in relation to the characters that worked inside? Are some of them missing things in their life somehow and so are drawn to this hospital?
What of the two brothers? Are they opposites in many ways or do they mirror one another's traits?
And the title?