Review: Short story: "Abscond" by Abraham Verghese

Abscond by Abraham Verghese
Published July 2025 via Amazon Original Stories

Grief tears us apart, and if we're lucky, it brings us closer together—something the protagonist of this short story has to learn at far too young an age.

This is the first time I've read any of Verghese's work, though of course some of his books (Cutting for Stone, My Own Country) have long been on my radar. I'm intrigued by the timing here, and by the cultural nuance: This is set in 1960s New Jersey, but other than a lack of cell phones the setting wasn't really something that I noticed until after the fact. In retrospect, though, it adds some depth to Ravi's interactions with some of his neighbors and friends.

Without spoilers, I'll say that I'm cautious about books about this kind of grief these days, but a short story was about what I can sit with. But what I like best is the observations about the ways in which so many people do not know what to do with that grief, and it's sometimes the least likely people you'd expect who know how and when to lean in.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.