Eight letters: rhymes with "please" and writes epic fiction

This morning, staring at my computer and thinking about how much I needed caffeine, I overheard Marcia, the head of our department, warning Erica that Abraham Verghese’s name was pronounced “Ver-geez,” not “Ver-gezee,” and that she should know in case it came up in Erica’s conference planning. At this, my eyes refocused. This was important information. I’d just been reading his new book Cutting for Stone on my commute, and, while I’m not far in, I’m pretty sure that people will know his name after this book, and I’d better know how to pronounce it.

I took the opportunity to jump up and have the following short conversation with Marcia.

“Ooooh, I’m reading that right now!”
“Me too! ISN’T IT GOOD?”
“It’s REALLY GOOD!”
“He’s going to be at ALA in Denver!”
“Really? Yes, that’s awesome. Guy can write.”

So, if you don’t already know Verghese’s name from his non-fiction titles, My Own Country (a National Book Critics Circle finalist) and The Tennis Partner (a New York Times Notable Book), you just may know it from his upcoming fiction debut in February. Consider this pre-buzz. They may not have a jacket yet, but it’s certainly bound–for great things. (Apologies. I suffer from chronic bad-punning.) Stay tuned.

-David