Fatherhood

A few days ago, my first child was born. About a month ago, at my wife’s recommendation, I read Abraham Verghese’s 2023 novel The Covenant Of Water . In the same way that Moby Dick is a “book about everything”, The Covenant Of Water is a book about everything human. Near the end of the story, one of Verghese’s characters reflects on his own fatherhood and acceptance at fading into the background.…