Rami Ramanathan is a New Jersey teenager passionate about being the top-ranked tennis player in his age group. He is the only child of his surgeon-father and his stay-at-home mother. Suddenly, his family encounters grief, an emotion that Rami has not previously encountered, at least in as much depth, and that he has not seen his mother encounter. Death’s visit makes him grow up and see the world more clearly – as it is, not as he wants or needs it to be. It also makes him become a man.
Abraham Verghese is a masterful, award-winning author who also practices as a physician at Stanford. For most of his life, he has seen grief through his patients, and those observations are under clear display in this tale. He brings out the depths of the human experience – the emotions, the rituals, the relationships – all in accessible prose. Although short, this story will make readers abscond on their own journey and perhaps propel them forward towards a more life-giving tomorrow.
Abscond: A Short Story
By Abraham Verghese
Copyright (c) 2025
Amazon Original Stories
ASIN B0DT7LBVWR
Page Count: 39
Genre: Short Stories
www.amazon.com