Cutting for Stone

For most of the last couple of months, I've felt distressed. It's like a fight or flight reaction that's been drawn out for weeks. It's taken a physical toll, but there are little reprieves: when I spend time with my dogs, go to the gym or get lost in a book.

In July, I read Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese at the suggestion of Daisy's book club. There is a lot of medical jargon here. That's what makes it just the book that the child of a physician, particularly an OBGYN, was raised to read. What others might see as tedium made me feel right at home--it was like sitting at our family dinner table.

At a time where I'm struggling to find the value in recent, difficult personal experiences... to find the the meaning... it was nice to read a novel that tied the bitter and the sweet together for its characters. The end of the book raised some questions that have been very much on my mind lately. Should our compassion have limits where malignant behavior is concerned? Does compassion enable an abuser? Are there some circumstances where forgiveness should be off the table?

Do you have any suggestions for summer reading? I'm working my way through the Divergence series now (yeah, one step away from Twilight, but a light read was in order), but will looking for something new soon.