📚 Book Review: Abscond: A Short Story by Abraham Verghese (Kindle Edition)
A tender, emotionally resonant coming-of-age tale set in 1960s suburban America—Abraham Verghese distills his signature depth and humanity into this compact yet powerful short story.
🧠 Overview
Published in July 2025 as part of Amazon Original Stories, Abscond is a 39-page literary short story that follows Ravi Ramanathan, a thirteen-year-old Indian-American boy growing up in 1967 New Jersey. Ravi’s life is shaped by the quiet rhythms of his immigrant household: his surgeon father’s precise routines, his mother’s unwavering expectations, and the cultural duality he navigates between home and school.
But one summer day, everything changes. A sudden tragedy forces Ravi to confront grief, identity, and the fragile boundary between childhood and adulthood. What begins as a portrait of suburban life becomes a meditation on loss, resilience, and the secret selves we carry.
🔍 Key Themes & Highlights
- 🧒 Coming of age: Ravi’s emotional transformation is subtle yet profound
- 🧬 Cultural identity: Explores the tension between Tamil traditions and American assimilation
- 🎾 Symbolism of tennis: Ravi’s passion for tennis becomes a metaphor for freedom and self-expression
- 💔 Grief and growth: The story captures how loss reshapes family dynamics and personal perspective
- ✍️ Verghese’s prose: Lyrical, precise, and deeply empathetic—his medical background adds authenticity to the characters
“Verghese’s mastery of human emotion and cultural nuance translates beautifully to the short story format”.
💬 Reader Reception
- ⭐ Goodreads rating: 4.11/5 from over 22,000 ratings
- 📖 Readers praise the story’s emotional depth, vivid setting, and introspective tone
- 💬 “A quiet but devastating story that lingers long after the final page.”
- 🧾 Critics highlight its ability to evoke multigenerational themes in a compact format, calling it “a portrait of rupture and resilience”
⚠️ Considerations
- 📄 Short format: At under 40 pages, it’s a one-sitting read—ideal for literary fiction fans
- 📚 Standalone: Not part of a series, but thematically aligned with Verghese’s broader work on identity and healing
- 🧠 Reflective tone: Focuses more on emotional nuance than plot-driven action
🏁 Final Verdict
Abscond is a poignant, beautifully crafted short story that showcases Abraham Verghese’s gift for capturing the quiet complexities of family, culture, and personal transformation. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Cutting for Stone or new to his work, this Kindle edition offers a moving glimpse into the emotional terrain of growing up between worlds.
