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The Tennis Partner
When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unravelling, relocates to Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at a county hospital.
There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from a drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security, in the sport they love and in each other. But when the dark beast that is David's addiction emerges once again, almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened.
Compassionate and moving, The Tennis Partner is an unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive.
There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from a drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security, in the sport they love and in each other. But when the dark beast that is David's addiction emerges once again, almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened.
Compassionate and moving, The Tennis Partner is an unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive.
345 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Abraham Verghese
19 books10.8k followersAbraham Verghese, MD, MACP, is Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine.
Born of Indian parents who were teachers in Ethiopia, he grew up near Addis Ababa and began his medical training there. When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed, he completed his training at Madras Medical College and went to the United States for his residency as one of many foreign medical graduates. Like many others, he found only the less popular hospitals and communities open to him, an experience he described in one of his early New Yorker articles, The Cowpath to America.
From Johnson City, Tennessee, where he was a resident from 1980 to 1983, he did his fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine, working at Boston City Hospital for two years. It was here that he first saw the early signs of the HIV epidemic and later, when he returned to Johnson City as an assistant professor of medicine, he saw the second epidemic, rural AIDS, and his life took the turn for which he is most well known ? his caring for numerous AIDS patients in an era when little could be done and helping them through their early and painful deaths was often the most a physician could do.
His work with terminal patients and the insights he gained from the deep relationships he formed and the suffering he saw were intensely transformative; they became the basis for his first book, My Own Country : A Doctor's Story, written later during his years in El Paso, Texas. Such was his interest in writing that he decided to take some time away from medicine to study at the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1991. Since then, his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, Atlantic, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Granta, Forbes.com, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Following Iowa, he became professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas, where he lived for the next 11 years. In addition to writing his first book, which was one of five chosen as Best Book of the Year by Time magazine and later made into a Mira Nair movie, he also wrote a second best-selling book, The Tennis Partner : A Story of Friendship and Loss, about his friend and tennis partner?s struggle with addiction. This was a New York Times' Notable Book.
Born of Indian parents who were teachers in Ethiopia, he grew up near Addis Ababa and began his medical training there. When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed, he completed his training at Madras Medical College and went to the United States for his residency as one of many foreign medical graduates. Like many others, he found only the less popular hospitals and communities open to him, an experience he described in one of his early New Yorker articles, The Cowpath to America.
From Johnson City, Tennessee, where he was a resident from 1980 to 1983, he did his fellowship at Boston University School of Medicine, working at Boston City Hospital for two years. It was here that he first saw the early signs of the HIV epidemic and later, when he returned to Johnson City as an assistant professor of medicine, he saw the second epidemic, rural AIDS, and his life took the turn for which he is most well known ? his caring for numerous AIDS patients in an era when little could be done and helping them through their early and painful deaths was often the most a physician could do.
His work with terminal patients and the insights he gained from the deep relationships he formed and the suffering he saw were intensely transformative; they became the basis for his first book, My Own Country : A Doctor's Story, written later during his years in El Paso, Texas. Such was his interest in writing that he decided to take some time away from medicine to study at the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1991. Since then, his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Texas Monthly, Atlantic, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Granta, Forbes.com, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Following Iowa, he became professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso, Texas, where he lived for the next 11 years. In addition to writing his first book, which was one of five chosen as Best Book of the Year by Time magazine and later made into a Mira Nair movie, he also wrote a second best-selling book, The Tennis Partner : A Story of Friendship and Loss, about his friend and tennis partner?s struggle with addiction. This was a New York Times' Notable Book.
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March 15, 2019
A whole lot of people have read and loved Cutting for Stone. It has 314,679 Goodreads ratings, 51% of which were five stars. Many fewer (5,100) have rated this earlier Verghese book. That's unfortunate. (Not the popularity of Cutting for Stone, rather the fact this fascinating memoir remains largely undiscovered). Yes, it does feature tennis, but in the same way that M*A*S*H features surgery. The principals connect through it, but you don’t have to appreciate its finer points to enjoy the story (most of which is unrelated to rackets and nets). Even so, you’d probably like the book even more if you know what a backhand is, or if you’ve heard of Arthur Ashe.
The focus was squarely on the relationship between two men. One was the author, of course, an Indian doctor brought up in Ethiopia who at the time of the book was the Head of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech’s teaching hospital in El Paso. The other was one of his students, an Aussie named David. Their initial bond was a shared passion for tennis. David was the better player, and actually toured briefly as a professional. The two related to each other as foreigners, too, who had to work extra hard for their school placements. There was a symmetry to them where Verghese was the brilliant, affable teacher at the hospital and David was the talented, easy-going teacher on the court.
Once their friendship was on solid footing with mutual favors and mutual respect, they began to confide in each other. Verghese talked about his marital problems and what this meant for his two young sons. David then confessed to being a recovering cocaine addict. A med student who would dare shoot up, you might ask? They’d know the devastating physical effects better than anyone, right? Well, evidently, it happens. Verghese felt that doctors, who as a rule may be more emotionally remote, more often left to their own devices to fight demons, and better able to function in denial, have their own special brand of addiction problems.
Clearly, there was no shortage of conflict to drive the narrative. The most interesting parts to me, though, were Verghese’s powers of observation. A related trait that allowed him to diagnose a wide variety of illnesses from peeks and prods at the bedside made him a skilled writer with extraordinary insight into what makes people (himself included) tick. I like that he didn’t always paint himself as the hero, copping to pettiness, thin skin, and a lack of attentiveness to his wife. At one point he described himself as “willing to be fascinated equally by the genius, the fool, and the misanthrope,” then saying his wife was “more careful, cautious, level headed.” If he ever vilified her, it was too subtle for me to notice. I thought he was particularly good, too, at describing David’s behavior, without claiming that he understood the root causes. (The “show, don’t tell” lesson was not lost on him.)
David, despite his charm and casual grace, was a man with baggage. His landlady and AA friend called him a helpless womanizer, which may have gone hand-in-hand with his drug problem. Promising relationships fell apart due to self-destructive behavior. One of the key questions Verghese asked himself was how responsible he should feel for David’s well-being. Could he be diverted away from his problems? Should he be given special dispensation? Is his condition simply another disease to be treated? How much is a function of will? Another aspect of Verghese’s honesty that I appreciated was how he viewed events first as they affected himself. The subsequent empathy for his friend rang truer that way.
Something fans of Cutting for Stone already know is that Verghese is one heck of a good writer. That’s true at a sentence level (an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop after his medical degree must have seen to that) and also in the human understanding he shows. At one point, an addict named Gato offered to show him the ropes.
I liked his analogies too. One time he saw David with another woman.
He’s good with medical science as well, rarely going into detail just to show off. Here he was talking about how Emergency Medicine would be a bad specialty for David.
I’m giving this 4.5 stars and rounding down reluctantly to 4. My only real complaint is that towards the end when I expected the most powerful emotional wallop, it seemed a bit clinical instead. But I’d hate to leave you with that as the final impression. This is a very engaging read, with an author you can trust pointing out complicated human dealings: control in the face of addiction, promiscuity when people can get hurt, and friendship when the going gets tough. I put this one in play. It’s in your court now.
The focus was squarely on the relationship between two men. One was the author, of course, an Indian doctor brought up in Ethiopia who at the time of the book was the Head of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech’s teaching hospital in El Paso. The other was one of his students, an Aussie named David. Their initial bond was a shared passion for tennis. David was the better player, and actually toured briefly as a professional. The two related to each other as foreigners, too, who had to work extra hard for their school placements. There was a symmetry to them where Verghese was the brilliant, affable teacher at the hospital and David was the talented, easy-going teacher on the court.
Once their friendship was on solid footing with mutual favors and mutual respect, they began to confide in each other. Verghese talked about his marital problems and what this meant for his two young sons. David then confessed to being a recovering cocaine addict. A med student who would dare shoot up, you might ask? They’d know the devastating physical effects better than anyone, right? Well, evidently, it happens. Verghese felt that doctors, who as a rule may be more emotionally remote, more often left to their own devices to fight demons, and better able to function in denial, have their own special brand of addiction problems.
Clearly, there was no shortage of conflict to drive the narrative. The most interesting parts to me, though, were Verghese’s powers of observation. A related trait that allowed him to diagnose a wide variety of illnesses from peeks and prods at the bedside made him a skilled writer with extraordinary insight into what makes people (himself included) tick. I like that he didn’t always paint himself as the hero, copping to pettiness, thin skin, and a lack of attentiveness to his wife. At one point he described himself as “willing to be fascinated equally by the genius, the fool, and the misanthrope,” then saying his wife was “more careful, cautious, level headed.” If he ever vilified her, it was too subtle for me to notice. I thought he was particularly good, too, at describing David’s behavior, without claiming that he understood the root causes. (The “show, don’t tell” lesson was not lost on him.)
David, despite his charm and casual grace, was a man with baggage. His landlady and AA friend called him a helpless womanizer, which may have gone hand-in-hand with his drug problem. Promising relationships fell apart due to self-destructive behavior. One of the key questions Verghese asked himself was how responsible he should feel for David’s well-being. Could he be diverted away from his problems? Should he be given special dispensation? Is his condition simply another disease to be treated? How much is a function of will? Another aspect of Verghese’s honesty that I appreciated was how he viewed events first as they affected himself. The subsequent empathy for his friend rang truer that way.
Something fans of Cutting for Stone already know is that Verghese is one heck of a good writer. That’s true at a sentence level (an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop after his medical degree must have seen to that) and also in the human understanding he shows. At one point, an addict named Gato offered to show him the ropes.
Men like Gato made you feel that your manhood was being tested. There was nothing about his life--the hard time he did, the drug use, the manslaughter--that you envied, and yet when he flashed that arrogant grin, it was as if he dismissed everything you had done in your life as being sissy, joto. It tempted you to take some foolish risk just to prove him wrong, to show him you were one the boys.
I liked his analogies too. One time he saw David with another woman.
I've been meaning to tell you about her," he said, shaking his head, as if she were a weather pattern that had blown into his life, a phenomenon over which he had no control. Something that had just happened.
He’s good with medical science as well, rarely going into detail just to show off. Here he was talking about how Emergency Medicine would be a bad specialty for David.
EM was an adrenaline-driven field--the difference between cocaine and adrenaline a matter of a few carbon atoms.
I’m giving this 4.5 stars and rounding down reluctantly to 4. My only real complaint is that towards the end when I expected the most powerful emotional wallop, it seemed a bit clinical instead. But I’d hate to leave you with that as the final impression. This is a very engaging read, with an author you can trust pointing out complicated human dealings: control in the face of addiction, promiscuity when people can get hurt, and friendship when the going gets tough. I put this one in play. It’s in your court now.
August 2, 2022
UPDATE--
as I can't resist -- this is one of my favorite hidden gem reads -- (as in who knew?) -
I think its really for people who read "Cutting For Stone" by Abraham Verghese -- and those who just wanted MORE --of ANYTHING by Verghese -- (I still miss him --and can't wait for him to write another book already!!!) ---
And....
......this book (non-fiction that reads like fiction) -- is for those who had trouble with 'too much' tennis details in Taylor Jenkins Reid new book "Carrie Soto is Back".
Its 'less' about tennis than it is simply about a powerful friendship (and a plot I rather not say as I think going in blind is the best way to read this book) --and the exceptional experience of a great friendship between two straight men....(we have sooo many woman-relationships) --
I read this book years ago -- 'after' reading "Cutting for Stone".
A Goodreads friend wrote me today asking if I would write a review of this book)...
MY PLEASURE!!!!!!!
The Tennis Partner is a non-fiction story about Abraham Verghese and his friend --(another medical doctor).
The 'best' recommendation I could give --is to NOT read other reviews...
Do NOT read the blur..
Do NOT read the back of the paperback
Do NOT try to figure out what will happen in this story...
I found going in 'blind' --TRUSTING-- was the best way to read this story.
Some books are best ...knowing next to 'nothing' before reading!
What I will say:
Its inspiring to read a book about a friendship between two straight male men. Male bonding is something we don't see a lot of in books --'pure friendship'....
I don't want to say what the content of the story is...
If you enjoyed "Cutting for Stone"....(this book is very different)...
but have a 'little' interest in knowing more about the 'man' who wrote "Cutting for Stone"...
This book gives you an experience of who Abraham Verghese is.
I had a chance to speak privately to the author about this book --at a very packed house at a reading for "Cutting for Stone"...
He said...THIS book was the MOST personal to him!
I've never forgotten this story. It turned me inside out --outside in -upside down -and around!
as I can't resist -- this is one of my favorite hidden gem reads -- (as in who knew?) -
I think its really for people who read "Cutting For Stone" by Abraham Verghese -- and those who just wanted MORE --of ANYTHING by Verghese -- (I still miss him --and can't wait for him to write another book already!!!) ---
And....
......this book (non-fiction that reads like fiction) -- is for those who had trouble with 'too much' tennis details in Taylor Jenkins Reid new book "Carrie Soto is Back".
Its 'less' about tennis than it is simply about a powerful friendship (and a plot I rather not say as I think going in blind is the best way to read this book) --and the exceptional experience of a great friendship between two straight men....(we have sooo many woman-relationships) --
I read this book years ago -- 'after' reading "Cutting for Stone".
A Goodreads friend wrote me today asking if I would write a review of this book)...
MY PLEASURE!!!!!!!
The Tennis Partner is a non-fiction story about Abraham Verghese and his friend --(another medical doctor).
The 'best' recommendation I could give --is to NOT read other reviews...
Do NOT read the blur..
Do NOT read the back of the paperback
Do NOT try to figure out what will happen in this story...
I found going in 'blind' --TRUSTING-- was the best way to read this story.
Some books are best ...knowing next to 'nothing' before reading!
What I will say:
Its inspiring to read a book about a friendship between two straight male men. Male bonding is something we don't see a lot of in books --'pure friendship'....
I don't want to say what the content of the story is...
If you enjoyed "Cutting for Stone"....(this book is very different)...
but have a 'little' interest in knowing more about the 'man' who wrote "Cutting for Stone"...
This book gives you an experience of who Abraham Verghese is.
I had a chance to speak privately to the author about this book --at a very packed house at a reading for "Cutting for Stone"...
He said...THIS book was the MOST personal to him!
I've never forgotten this story. It turned me inside out --outside in -upside down -and around!
July 9, 2011
I have just completed a Verghese marathon. Why do I enjoy his books? As I have said before: his language is elegant, his storytelling is gifted and magical. His novel has enough descriptive setting in it that it seems to be a true memoir. His characters live, the country is in shambles. Haile Selassie lives again. The non-fiction feeling is enhanced by the inclusion of accurate maps, that actually help the reader follow the movements of the characters.
His non-fiction - I don't know where to begin. The HIV epidemic started as I started my medical career, so I feel a kinship with Verghese as he feels his way into this new sub-specialty in My Own Country. He includes enough about his family to add depth to his life, but not so much that it is a family history. Again, his descriptive ability makes his patients recognizable as real people, and the hospital and its surrounds a familiar locale.
The Tennis Partner near to breaks my heart. Here, the descriptive elements once again let the reader fall right into the story. While set against the backdrop of his family situation, it is never so much that we lose the main story of the breakdown of an individual and a friendship. His medical descriptions, especially of procedures, are spot on. The details so complete that one can follow and understand exactly what the practitioner is doing.
All in all, this has been a wonderful set of reading experiences, and I am waiting for the next one.
His non-fiction - I don't know where to begin. The HIV epidemic started as I started my medical career, so I feel a kinship with Verghese as he feels his way into this new sub-specialty in My Own Country. He includes enough about his family to add depth to his life, but not so much that it is a family history. Again, his descriptive ability makes his patients recognizable as real people, and the hospital and its surrounds a familiar locale.
The Tennis Partner near to breaks my heart. Here, the descriptive elements once again let the reader fall right into the story. While set against the backdrop of his family situation, it is never so much that we lose the main story of the breakdown of an individual and a friendship. His medical descriptions, especially of procedures, are spot on. The details so complete that one can follow and understand exactly what the practitioner is doing.
All in all, this has been a wonderful set of reading experiences, and I am waiting for the next one.
March 1, 2016
The Tennis Partner describes the autobiographical story of the friendship between Verghese and one of his medical students in El Paso, Texas, in the early 1990s.
When David Smith met Dr. Verghese, he was a medical student trying to finish his degree and obtaining an internship, but before he started his studies he was a tennis player on the college tour. Verghese had always been a keen tennis player but had not had much time to play. When the two men discovered their shared interest they started playing together and developed a friendship.
Of course, the first thing I was drawn to was the tennis aspect of the book. However, that turned out to be the most boring part. Verghese is obsessed with keeping notes of every aspect of his game and that of any player he has ever watched. This was really boring. I love tennis, but really don't care about the commentary on someone else's game.
What was interesting, tho, was the description of the differences between the two men. In particular the description of their day-to-day lives. How David is struggling to make ends meet as a med student who is subjected to long hours, long commutes, and additional issues that range from trying to keep up a long-distance relationship to being a recovering drug addict.
Verghese is going through a separation at the time he meets Smith, but has an established career and a relatively stable life.
The friendship between them seems unlikely but at the same time also seems to be genuine and reciprocated by both men.
Of course, as the story goes on, Verghese reveals that not all was at it seemed at the start.
I also enjoyed Verghese's writing about medicine and medical conditions, but sometimes he meandered into adding his own spin on issues - particularly his vast experience in treating patients with AIDS-related illnesses - that seem rather judgmental when viewed from a present-day perspective. Of course, I have no doubt many of his patients were drug users, prostitutes, and gay men, but some of the descriptions seemed rather stereotypical. There was just something a little bit grating about the narration that made the author seem a little bit arrogant, even though the end of the story clearly shows that he was a fallible as anyone else.
All in all, it was an interesting book but I think I'll pass on his other book, Cutting for Stone.
When David Smith met Dr. Verghese, he was a medical student trying to finish his degree and obtaining an internship, but before he started his studies he was a tennis player on the college tour. Verghese had always been a keen tennis player but had not had much time to play. When the two men discovered their shared interest they started playing together and developed a friendship.
Of course, the first thing I was drawn to was the tennis aspect of the book. However, that turned out to be the most boring part. Verghese is obsessed with keeping notes of every aspect of his game and that of any player he has ever watched. This was really boring. I love tennis, but really don't care about the commentary on someone else's game.
What was interesting, tho, was the description of the differences between the two men. In particular the description of their day-to-day lives. How David is struggling to make ends meet as a med student who is subjected to long hours, long commutes, and additional issues that range from trying to keep up a long-distance relationship to being a recovering drug addict.
Verghese is going through a separation at the time he meets Smith, but has an established career and a relatively stable life.
The friendship between them seems unlikely but at the same time also seems to be genuine and reciprocated by both men.
Of course, as the story goes on, Verghese reveals that not all was at it seemed at the start.
I also enjoyed Verghese's writing about medicine and medical conditions, but sometimes he meandered into adding his own spin on issues - particularly his vast experience in treating patients with AIDS-related illnesses - that seem rather judgmental when viewed from a present-day perspective. Of course, I have no doubt many of his patients were drug users, prostitutes, and gay men, but some of the descriptions seemed rather stereotypical. There was just something a little bit grating about the narration that made the author seem a little bit arrogant, even though the end of the story clearly shows that he was a fallible as anyone else.
All in all, it was an interesting book but I think I'll pass on his other book, Cutting for Stone.
June 16, 2024
This was not an easy book to write and to get right, I can imagine.
This presumably autobiographical look at a time in Verghese’s life when his marriage had broken down and he was trying to find his way through to the other side.
He finds a path to a new life for himself through David, his student and then his tennis partner. The friendship that develops was “an important way to reclaim that which had been lost”.
David, though, is an addict. And Verghese somewhat co-dependent. They are like two drowning men clinging to each other in some ways. Verghese doesn’t look too deeply at the faults of his friend, so that he can keep swimming.
I had a huge dislike for David from the get-go. He is a nuanced character and Verghese does a terrific job in showing how the realisation of who David was slowly dawned on him.
This book is successful because of the reality it brings to its characters. This is not a story-driven novel so if you want something that sets a brisk pace, this ain’t it.
This presumably autobiographical look at a time in Verghese’s life when his marriage had broken down and he was trying to find his way through to the other side.
He finds a path to a new life for himself through David, his student and then his tennis partner. The friendship that develops was “an important way to reclaim that which had been lost”.
David, though, is an addict. And Verghese somewhat co-dependent. They are like two drowning men clinging to each other in some ways. Verghese doesn’t look too deeply at the faults of his friend, so that he can keep swimming.
I had a huge dislike for David from the get-go. He is a nuanced character and Verghese does a terrific job in showing how the realisation of who David was slowly dawned on him.
This book is successful because of the reality it brings to its characters. This is not a story-driven novel so if you want something that sets a brisk pace, this ain’t it.
June 25, 2018
I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than 'My Own Country,' by the same author, which I read first. I'm not sure 'enjoyed' is quite the correct word, however, for such a downer of a subject -- the impossibility, that is, of reforming somebody who's truly bent on self-destruction. The author realized this partway through the book, too, and chose to celebrate what was good about his friend rather than continuing to lament his irreversible spiral.
March 22, 2013
I had a hard time rating this book. For readability of prose, it was a "five." I loved his writing style and storytelling ability. But I think my position as a recovering alcoholic may have colored my view of the substance of how he treated his friendship with David as well as David's relapse. I was struck by what I felt to be the author's viewpoint -- that David's relapse was somehow all about him (the author.) What he lost, what he missed, what he was disappointed about. And his willingness, maybe even eagerness, to join "the disappointed", David's former girlfriends, to commiserate. His scoffing at David's trying to grasp his sexual addiction was disturbing. I was also a little surprised at his naivete in the area of addiction; that same old, (albeit unspoken) assumption that it's "them", the dispossessed, the poor, the underclass, who succumb to addiction, not "us." Lastly, his calling the cops on David when David was finally located, was not only disappointing, but displayed a flash of cruelty disguised as compassion and trying to help. In short, I was disappointed, but I commend his courage in being as honest as he could be about his friendship with David in his writing.
January 9, 2011
A deeply disturbing, often fascinating memoir, one that reads more like a novel. The author befriends an intern in a busy El Paso hospital; the two become tennis buddies and friends. Each has their individual agonies. Verghese is separated from his wife, and trying to reconcile his new life with his devotion to his two sons. But the central story is that of Verghese's friendship with David Smith, a former pro tennis player turned doctor, who is trying heroically to overcome an addiction problem which threatens to destroy him.
There are asides and disquisitions on the nature of tennis, of male friendship, of the arrogance of the doctor, and the history of El Paso. Verghese is surprisingly modest about his own troubles - living in a near-empty apartment which he refuses to furnish, although there seems no likelihood of reconciling with his estranged wife.
But the portrait of David is riveting. Australian, charming, gifted in tennis and possibly equally so in medicine, David is also determinedly self-destructive. The charming young addict smashes not one but two romantic relationships during the course of this short work, and brings himself to the point of ruin. Verghese doesn't white-wash David's downward trajectory, and his best efforts at recovery. It's occasionally harrowing, and every so often more than a bit pompous, but terrifically engaging and though-provoking.
There are asides and disquisitions on the nature of tennis, of male friendship, of the arrogance of the doctor, and the history of El Paso. Verghese is surprisingly modest about his own troubles - living in a near-empty apartment which he refuses to furnish, although there seems no likelihood of reconciling with his estranged wife.
But the portrait of David is riveting. Australian, charming, gifted in tennis and possibly equally so in medicine, David is also determinedly self-destructive. The charming young addict smashes not one but two romantic relationships during the course of this short work, and brings himself to the point of ruin. Verghese doesn't white-wash David's downward trajectory, and his best efforts at recovery. It's occasionally harrowing, and every so often more than a bit pompous, but terrifically engaging and though-provoking.
September 24, 2012
When I picked up and read the summary of THE TENNIS PARTNER, it intrigued me. What I didn't realize at that time was that it was a work of nonfiction. Only when the main character in the book mentioned his full name -- which happened to be the same as the author -- did I realize that it was an autobiographical memoir. I typically prefer reading fiction books to nonfiction, but I continued with it nonetheless.
The story is about an Indian doctor (Dr. Abraham Verghese) whose sole focus has been on the advancement of his career while his marriage falls apart. Eventually, he moves into his own apartment in El Paso, TX, and tries to share custody of his two children. Meanwhile, he develops an atypical friendship with an intern, first based on their mutual love of tennis. Unfortunately, the intern, David, is a recovering drug addict whose on- and off-the-wagon struggles test their friendship and professional relationship. Abraham "puts all his eggs in one basket." Other than David, he has no other friends. He relies on him for company and misses him when he's not around. When David is out with other friends or spending time with his girlfriends, Abraham is jealous that David is spending his free time with them and not him.
After finishing the book, I had to wonder: Does the author realize that he's gay? It was very obvious to me that he had a major crush on this unobtainable, straight playboy of a man. Believe me, I've been there. I know all of the signs and all of the emotions. To quote Dr. Verghese himself, there's "no shame in a floppy wrist." Come out, come out!
This book itself was very well written, though. Dr. Verghese has a flair for words, but often is too lengthy in his descriptions, especially the never-ending tennis match descriptions. Unless you're a huge, HUGE fan of tennis, these ad nauseum paragraphs numbed me, much like the racing ones did to me in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. After awhile, I learned to skip past these to keep my interest in the story from waning. I did, however, find the descriptions about medical procedures, symptoms, etc. fascinating. They were told in easy enough terminology and descriptions that actually made me learn a few medical-related things.
THE TENNIS PARTNER is an ode to Dr. Verghese's friendship (dare I say "love"?) of David, and it was an interesting and sad account of the ups and downs of relationships.
The story is about an Indian doctor (Dr. Abraham Verghese) whose sole focus has been on the advancement of his career while his marriage falls apart. Eventually, he moves into his own apartment in El Paso, TX, and tries to share custody of his two children. Meanwhile, he develops an atypical friendship with an intern, first based on their mutual love of tennis. Unfortunately, the intern, David, is a recovering drug addict whose on- and off-the-wagon struggles test their friendship and professional relationship. Abraham "puts all his eggs in one basket." Other than David, he has no other friends. He relies on him for company and misses him when he's not around. When David is out with other friends or spending time with his girlfriends, Abraham is jealous that David is spending his free time with them and not him.
After finishing the book, I had to wonder: Does the author realize that he's gay? It was very obvious to me that he had a major crush on this unobtainable, straight playboy of a man. Believe me, I've been there. I know all of the signs and all of the emotions. To quote Dr. Verghese himself, there's "no shame in a floppy wrist." Come out, come out!
This book itself was very well written, though. Dr. Verghese has a flair for words, but often is too lengthy in his descriptions, especially the never-ending tennis match descriptions. Unless you're a huge, HUGE fan of tennis, these ad nauseum paragraphs numbed me, much like the racing ones did to me in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. After awhile, I learned to skip past these to keep my interest in the story from waning. I did, however, find the descriptions about medical procedures, symptoms, etc. fascinating. They were told in easy enough terminology and descriptions that actually made me learn a few medical-related things.
THE TENNIS PARTNER is an ode to Dr. Verghese's friendship (dare I say "love"?) of David, and it was an interesting and sad account of the ups and downs of relationships.
December 4, 2023
Before Dr. Abraham Verghese moved to El Paso, Texas, his marriage was having difficulties. The couple had to decide whether she would stay in Iowa or move with him, whether or not they could make a go of it. Since this autbiography is told after the fact, it was pretty obvious that no, the marriage simply didn't work. Still, it was the right decision because it meant that the children could still be close to both parents after the separation.
For many years, Verghese had loved and played the game of tennis when he met his student, David Smith. They began playing together a couple of times a week and a strong friendship was built from those sessions. There is a lot of tennis in this book. As a fan of tennis (though I've never played) I recognized all the old time players. There were also tennis lessons: using the forehand or backhand, slice or topspin, strategy. I loved this, but for those who haven't ever watched a match it might be more than just a little much.
At the time of the book, Dr. Verghese is Head of Internal Medicine at a teaching hospital. The reader sometimes makes the rounds with him. In addition to a lot of tennis, there is a lot of medicine. The book takes place when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak. There were terms that went right over my head and chose to just let go. There were other terms that I stopped to look up. What is IVDA for example? I stopped to look it up and the initials stand for Intravenous Drug Abuse.
I've had this on my physical shelves for over 3 years. I think I picked it up at the Friends of the Library book sale and did so because I liked his Cutting for Stone. This was a very different book, but I'm very glad to have read it. It isn't the same kind of book as that more well known title, but it is still 4-stars.
For many years, Verghese had loved and played the game of tennis when he met his student, David Smith. They began playing together a couple of times a week and a strong friendship was built from those sessions. There is a lot of tennis in this book. As a fan of tennis (though I've never played) I recognized all the old time players. There were also tennis lessons: using the forehand or backhand, slice or topspin, strategy. I loved this, but for those who haven't ever watched a match it might be more than just a little much.
At the time of the book, Dr. Verghese is Head of Internal Medicine at a teaching hospital. The reader sometimes makes the rounds with him. In addition to a lot of tennis, there is a lot of medicine. The book takes place when the AIDS epidemic was at its peak. There were terms that went right over my head and chose to just let go. There were other terms that I stopped to look up. What is IVDA for example? I stopped to look it up and the initials stand for Intravenous Drug Abuse.
I've had this on my physical shelves for over 3 years. I think I picked it up at the Friends of the Library book sale and did so because I liked his Cutting for Stone. This was a very different book, but I'm very glad to have read it. It isn't the same kind of book as that more well known title, but it is still 4-stars.
July 16, 2024
So utterly heartbreaking and a window into a world I have little understanding of, into which I too had lost someone I love, and which helps me to understand her a little better.
September 17, 2016
I found this book disturbing, unnervingly so, and I’m still trying to figure out why. Writing about it may help.
Nevertheless, it has all the Abraham Verghese virtues. It’s beautifully written, full of interesting detail about Verghese’s life, about medicine and his medical practice, about the man who became his tennis partner. Verghese is honest to a fault, and doesn’t spare himself any more than he spares this friend who eventually gave in to addiction.
But a question I have about Verghese—which I also have about various brilliant friends I’ve met through the years: where does he get the energy, to say nothing of the time? The last I heard, being a physician was a full time occupation and then some. Verghese has combined that with being a bestselling author, writing three substantial books and articles for a variety of publications. Now it turns out that tennis is not a casual pastime: he’s been involved with the sport for years, has tried various schemes to improve his game, has kept a series of tennis notebooks which he’s filled obsessively through the years. Obsessive is the word. I’ve been a swimmer for thirty years, and love it, but I don’t keep a notebook.
With all these strains, and the responsibility of being a husband and father to two boys, it’s no surprise that his marriage collapses partway through this book. We saw the beginning of the collapse in My Own Country. He mentions various problems, but one must have been that he was so busy.
In any case, when he found himself at a new job in El Paso, he was delighted to discover that one of the third-year students in his group, an Australian named David Smith, not only played tennis, but had played briefly on the professional tour. Verghese’s game is nowhere near a professional level, and even though David hadn’t played for some time, didn’t even have a racket, the two men find a way to play together where they can both get exercise, relax from their difficult days, David can give Abraham some mild instruction, and they can grow together as friends. Their friendship was mildly problematic, because Verghese was also David’s supervisor in the hospital. For most of the book, that didn’t seem a problem.
Friendship may be too mild a term. I don’t like the word bromance, but it seems appropriate for this relationship, in which the men do a lot of good for each other, come to love each other, and seem right on the verge of sexual attraction. Verghese’s marriage has ended, he moves into a bachelor pad which he hardly furnishes at all, is living more or less like a grad student, not an especially mature one (while his wife in the meantime is thriving). The two men were important emotional supports for each other. They loved each other.
I was surprised that a man so mature in many ways was not taking better care of his life[1], but my real disturbance was about David. This was a man who, in his own way, was as multi-faceted as Verghese. He was an excellent medical student and intern, one of Verghese’s best. He had been a professional tennis player who probably could have continued on the tour if he’d been able to find a sponsor. He was good-looking and charming, extremely attractive to women; we find out eventually what a lady’s man he was. But he’d also been a cocaine addict in the past, a street person, a fact that Verghese only discovers well into their friendship, and by the end of the book he has relapsed badly and—spoiler alert—taken his own life. He seemed to have so much going for him, and he threw it all away for what amounted to a few weeks of cocaine.
There’s no use hiding that fact in a review. That’s what the book is about.
I have puzzled over addiction for years, reading about it and talking with a friend who is a substance abuse counselor. I’ve written about it in several places[2]. I don’t feel superior to David Smith. I actually feel grateful that my addictions, as troublesome as they are, are not to drugs, especially ones that leave you down and out. We’re all vulnerable to addiction. But it seems that certain substances are so addictive it’s almost impossible to resist them.
Despite his many talents and attractions, there were things that obviously troubled David. He had an absolutely gorgeous girlfriend with whom—Verghese couldn’t help noticing—he was constantly fighting; it turned out he was compulsively unfaithful, apparently because he had such low self-esteem that he had to prove himself by winning women over. He eventually found a second girlfriend but exhibited the same behavior with her. David too kept notebooks, but his were about sexual fantasies, and acting them out. After one relapse where he went immediately into rehab, he became convinced that his cocaine addiction was really just a feature of this sex addiction, that sex was the real problem.
There was a moment early in the book where Verghese overheard David calling his parents in Australia, asking them for money, and it was obvious that his relationship with them was stiff and formal, that in some fundamental way they didn’t approve of him, that there was probably nothing he would ever do that would get their approval. I’m reading a lot into a single phone call. But that seemed to be the import of it.
I understand that it can be a difficult thing when your parents don’t approve of you. But you cheat on your girlfriends constantly, seek out sexual companionship from all kinds of women, take a drug that you know is deadly, all because of some problem with your parents? Can that be true?
If not, what was? Why did he throw away a life that many people would have loved to have.
I believe that ultimately, addiction is what we turn to because we cannot face the shining present moment. Life as it is is too much for us, and we run away. But if we’re afraid of life, what’s the alternative? And what does it take for us to relax into life’s simple beauty?
[1] I especially felt that way because there is a passage in My Own Country in which a gay man talks about how stupid straight men are when their marriages break up, they moved into unfurnished apartments and hang nothing on the walls, have no idea how to take care of themselves. Verghese wrote this passage, though he was quoting another man. But then he lived exactly that way. Even worse.
[2] My morning mind essay “Sexual Fetish and the Energy of the Universe” is here. And I write about addiction specifically in sections 13 and 14 of The Mystery of Being. www.davidguy.org
Nevertheless, it has all the Abraham Verghese virtues. It’s beautifully written, full of interesting detail about Verghese’s life, about medicine and his medical practice, about the man who became his tennis partner. Verghese is honest to a fault, and doesn’t spare himself any more than he spares this friend who eventually gave in to addiction.
But a question I have about Verghese—which I also have about various brilliant friends I’ve met through the years: where does he get the energy, to say nothing of the time? The last I heard, being a physician was a full time occupation and then some. Verghese has combined that with being a bestselling author, writing three substantial books and articles for a variety of publications. Now it turns out that tennis is not a casual pastime: he’s been involved with the sport for years, has tried various schemes to improve his game, has kept a series of tennis notebooks which he’s filled obsessively through the years. Obsessive is the word. I’ve been a swimmer for thirty years, and love it, but I don’t keep a notebook.
With all these strains, and the responsibility of being a husband and father to two boys, it’s no surprise that his marriage collapses partway through this book. We saw the beginning of the collapse in My Own Country. He mentions various problems, but one must have been that he was so busy.
In any case, when he found himself at a new job in El Paso, he was delighted to discover that one of the third-year students in his group, an Australian named David Smith, not only played tennis, but had played briefly on the professional tour. Verghese’s game is nowhere near a professional level, and even though David hadn’t played for some time, didn’t even have a racket, the two men find a way to play together where they can both get exercise, relax from their difficult days, David can give Abraham some mild instruction, and they can grow together as friends. Their friendship was mildly problematic, because Verghese was also David’s supervisor in the hospital. For most of the book, that didn’t seem a problem.
Friendship may be too mild a term. I don’t like the word bromance, but it seems appropriate for this relationship, in which the men do a lot of good for each other, come to love each other, and seem right on the verge of sexual attraction. Verghese’s marriage has ended, he moves into a bachelor pad which he hardly furnishes at all, is living more or less like a grad student, not an especially mature one (while his wife in the meantime is thriving). The two men were important emotional supports for each other. They loved each other.
I was surprised that a man so mature in many ways was not taking better care of his life[1], but my real disturbance was about David. This was a man who, in his own way, was as multi-faceted as Verghese. He was an excellent medical student and intern, one of Verghese’s best. He had been a professional tennis player who probably could have continued on the tour if he’d been able to find a sponsor. He was good-looking and charming, extremely attractive to women; we find out eventually what a lady’s man he was. But he’d also been a cocaine addict in the past, a street person, a fact that Verghese only discovers well into their friendship, and by the end of the book he has relapsed badly and—spoiler alert—taken his own life. He seemed to have so much going for him, and he threw it all away for what amounted to a few weeks of cocaine.
There’s no use hiding that fact in a review. That’s what the book is about.
I have puzzled over addiction for years, reading about it and talking with a friend who is a substance abuse counselor. I’ve written about it in several places[2]. I don’t feel superior to David Smith. I actually feel grateful that my addictions, as troublesome as they are, are not to drugs, especially ones that leave you down and out. We’re all vulnerable to addiction. But it seems that certain substances are so addictive it’s almost impossible to resist them.
Despite his many talents and attractions, there were things that obviously troubled David. He had an absolutely gorgeous girlfriend with whom—Verghese couldn’t help noticing—he was constantly fighting; it turned out he was compulsively unfaithful, apparently because he had such low self-esteem that he had to prove himself by winning women over. He eventually found a second girlfriend but exhibited the same behavior with her. David too kept notebooks, but his were about sexual fantasies, and acting them out. After one relapse where he went immediately into rehab, he became convinced that his cocaine addiction was really just a feature of this sex addiction, that sex was the real problem.
There was a moment early in the book where Verghese overheard David calling his parents in Australia, asking them for money, and it was obvious that his relationship with them was stiff and formal, that in some fundamental way they didn’t approve of him, that there was probably nothing he would ever do that would get their approval. I’m reading a lot into a single phone call. But that seemed to be the import of it.
I understand that it can be a difficult thing when your parents don’t approve of you. But you cheat on your girlfriends constantly, seek out sexual companionship from all kinds of women, take a drug that you know is deadly, all because of some problem with your parents? Can that be true?
If not, what was? Why did he throw away a life that many people would have loved to have.
I believe that ultimately, addiction is what we turn to because we cannot face the shining present moment. Life as it is is too much for us, and we run away. But if we’re afraid of life, what’s the alternative? And what does it take for us to relax into life’s simple beauty?
[1] I especially felt that way because there is a passage in My Own Country in which a gay man talks about how stupid straight men are when their marriages break up, they moved into unfurnished apartments and hang nothing on the walls, have no idea how to take care of themselves. Verghese wrote this passage, though he was quoting another man. But then he lived exactly that way. Even worse.
[2] My morning mind essay “Sexual Fetish and the Energy of the Universe” is here. And I write about addiction specifically in sections 13 and 14 of The Mystery of Being. www.davidguy.org
August 15, 2012
I thought I was sick of navel-gazing confessionals from self-absorbed physicians who think that the entire world is dying to know about the ins and outs of medical life. But a former anatomy tutor of mine with a penchant for latin and greek put it in my mailbox. how could i not read it?
What I learned from this book? I learned that it is incredibly, frighteningly easy to pick up a drug habit in the medical profession. I can only hope I find a really entertaining one, like...quaaludes or something.
I also really really like tennis.
What I learned from this book? I learned that it is incredibly, frighteningly easy to pick up a drug habit in the medical profession. I can only hope I find a really entertaining one, like...quaaludes or something.
I also really really like tennis.
January 10, 2026
L’impatto con questa lettura non è stato dei migliori, mi è apparso lentissimo ma soprattutto ho faticato a capire quale fosse la trama; colpa mia che mi ostino a comprare a scatola chiusa libri di autori che ho amato per altri romanzi.
Ho capito che stessi leggendo un memoir solo perché a un certo punto un personaggio si rivolge all’autore chiamandolo per nome e cognome e a quel punto mi è scesa una gocciolina di sudore visto che il mio rapporto con questo genere letterario è il seguente: o amo o odio visceralmente, e visto l’avvio ho avuto paura che questo libro appartenesse nettamente alla seconda categoria.
Invece, si è rivelato un libro inaspettatamente molto piacevole, il taglio è inevitabilmente personale ma le tematiche affrontate sono talmente vicine a me o comunque a ciò che mi piace leggere di solito (tennis, TANTO tennis, medicina, tossicodipendenza, rapporto genitori figli etc.).
“Tennis partner” parla sostanzialmente della splendida amicizia che si creò agli inizi degli anni ‘90 tra Verghese e un suo studente, che era stato precedentemente tennista professionista, e visto che l’autore giocava a livello amatoriale, gli chiese di giocare ogni tanto insieme.
Le loro partite furono l’occasione per sostenersi nel mentre che entrambi stavano attraversando dei momenti molto particolari delle loro vite professionali e personali.
È scritto molto bene e ci sono delle riflessioni davvero profonde, sul senso della vita e il ruolo dell’amicizia, sullo sport e l’importanza del gioco anche nella vita adulta.
Mi è piaciuto moltissimo.
Ho capito che stessi leggendo un memoir solo perché a un certo punto un personaggio si rivolge all’autore chiamandolo per nome e cognome e a quel punto mi è scesa una gocciolina di sudore visto che il mio rapporto con questo genere letterario è il seguente: o amo o odio visceralmente, e visto l’avvio ho avuto paura che questo libro appartenesse nettamente alla seconda categoria.
Invece, si è rivelato un libro inaspettatamente molto piacevole, il taglio è inevitabilmente personale ma le tematiche affrontate sono talmente vicine a me o comunque a ciò che mi piace leggere di solito (tennis, TANTO tennis, medicina, tossicodipendenza, rapporto genitori figli etc.).
“Tennis partner” parla sostanzialmente della splendida amicizia che si creò agli inizi degli anni ‘90 tra Verghese e un suo studente, che era stato precedentemente tennista professionista, e visto che l’autore giocava a livello amatoriale, gli chiese di giocare ogni tanto insieme.
Le loro partite furono l’occasione per sostenersi nel mentre che entrambi stavano attraversando dei momenti molto particolari delle loro vite professionali e personali.
È scritto molto bene e ci sono delle riflessioni davvero profonde, sul senso della vita e il ruolo dell’amicizia, sullo sport e l’importanza del gioco anche nella vita adulta.
Mi è piaciuto moltissimo.
September 17, 2024
I *almost* gave it 5 stars. I think one thing is for certain: Verghese could take my grocery list and turn it into an awarding winning piece of writing. What a sad and true story! He kept me up past my bedtime. I couldn’t put it down. Lots of tennis and medical talk…Instead of going to play tennis, I think I’ll start saying I’m off to impose order on this fickle world we live in :)
“In our rat-a-tat volleying at the net, in our mastery of spin, in the rallies, in the way the rackets functioned as extensions of our bodies, in the way we came to know each other's tics and idiosyncrasies, in the way we controlled the movement of a yellow ball in space, we were imposing order on a world that was fickle and capricious… Each time we played, this feeling of restoring order, of mastery, was awakened. It would linger for a few days but then wane. The urge to meet and play would build again. I had no solitary ambition with the tennis itself-I wasn't trying to raise my game in order to enter a tournament, collect trophies, and yet it was terribly important to keep playing…to play beautifully, to play exquisitely, and with great care, as if the universe rested on the flight of a ball.”
“In our rat-a-tat volleying at the net, in our mastery of spin, in the rallies, in the way the rackets functioned as extensions of our bodies, in the way we came to know each other's tics and idiosyncrasies, in the way we controlled the movement of a yellow ball in space, we were imposing order on a world that was fickle and capricious… Each time we played, this feeling of restoring order, of mastery, was awakened. It would linger for a few days but then wane. The urge to meet and play would build again. I had no solitary ambition with the tennis itself-I wasn't trying to raise my game in order to enter a tournament, collect trophies, and yet it was terribly important to keep playing…to play beautifully, to play exquisitely, and with great care, as if the universe rested on the flight of a ball.”
January 13, 2026
Abraham Verghese è bravissimo ad allungare il brodo e lo fa con maestria, competenza e pure un po’ di dolcezza.
Per circa 400 pagine scrive di medicina, tennis e dipendenze: probabilmente un altro mi avrebbe annoiato dopo dieci minuti, lui invece mai.
Consigliato ai fan di “E.R. Medici in prima linea” “The good doctor” e produzioni del genere e agli appassionati di tennis anni ’80 per i quali Bjorn Borg non era solo quel biondino che aveva sposato Loredana Bertè.
Per circa 400 pagine scrive di medicina, tennis e dipendenze: probabilmente un altro mi avrebbe annoiato dopo dieci minuti, lui invece mai.
Consigliato ai fan di “E.R. Medici in prima linea” “The good doctor” e produzioni del genere e agli appassionati di tennis anni ’80 per i quali Bjorn Borg non era solo quel biondino che aveva sposato Loredana Bertè.
November 26, 2024
In the Tennis Partner, infectious disease doctor and writer Abraham Verghese writes a deeply personal memoir about an inflection point in his life that took place in the early 1990s in El Paso, Texas, an unfamiliar-t0-him city to which he had recently moved for work, going through the difficult circumstance of separating from his first wife and co-parenting their two young kids. During this tenuous transition period, the opportunity to engage his lifelong obsession with tennis presented itself in the form of David Smith, a non-traditional medical student whose past included a brief time on the professional tennis circuit. Verghese and Smith soon become tennis partners and friends-of-sorts (complicated by Verghese's status as an attending physician at the hospital where Smith is a trainee), which is therapeutic but boundary-blurring for both as more of Smith's past is revealed.
This is a beautifully-written, emotionally nuanced memoir. I really appreciated how Verghese wasn't afraid to portray himself honestly and vulnerably, especially as his relationship with Smith took unexpected turns. It's one of the best depictions I've come across of sustaining a relationship with someone who is deeply flawed and struggling, while also being flawed and struggling yourself.
My statistics:
Book 284 for 2024
Book 1887 cumulatively
This is a beautifully-written, emotionally nuanced memoir. I really appreciated how Verghese wasn't afraid to portray himself honestly and vulnerably, especially as his relationship with Smith took unexpected turns. It's one of the best depictions I've come across of sustaining a relationship with someone who is deeply flawed and struggling, while also being flawed and struggling yourself.
My statistics:
Book 284 for 2024
Book 1887 cumulatively
November 24, 2013
Imagine going in for a physical and finding that your doctor has been replaced with a writer. He would know how to use a tongue depressor, but he wouldn't know what to do with what he sees. It's kind of the same thing with this book. Just because a doctor knows enough about words doesn't necessarily mean he should write a book.
Most of the time, I felt like I was just reading Verghese's journal (which he makes reference to throughout). Everything he did, every thought he had, he wrote about as if it was a super intelligent thing. Because he's a doctor. And doctor's are really intelligent. And important. And can write books.
I also thought he was really strange when he described women in the book. With every one of them, he described them as if she was later going to be a love interest--always talking about their sexuality, their smell, the way they made him feel--but none of them ever progressed to be more than a friend.
I'm sure Abraham Verghese is a great guy, but in this book, I couldn't shake the idea that he seems like a self-absorbed horndog.
Most of the time, I felt like I was just reading Verghese's journal (which he makes reference to throughout). Everything he did, every thought he had, he wrote about as if it was a super intelligent thing. Because he's a doctor. And doctor's are really intelligent. And important. And can write books.
I also thought he was really strange when he described women in the book. With every one of them, he described them as if she was later going to be a love interest--always talking about their sexuality, their smell, the way they made him feel--but none of them ever progressed to be more than a friend.
I'm sure Abraham Verghese is a great guy, but in this book, I couldn't shake the idea that he seems like a self-absorbed horndog.
January 11, 2026
I love Verghese and have long wanted to read his two memoirs. This one, about friendship, tennis, addiction, and how the profession of medicine can “foster loneliness” is both beautiful and bleak. It is, above all, a dazzling display of Verghese’s talent for capturing the emotional and physical landscapes of his characters.
As someone who loves his fiction, I found it jarring to meet Verghese as himself—all at once petty, needy, vain, kind, playful, and a masterful and methodical teacher of internal medicine. I had mindlessly projected a sense of near-perfection on him (Stanford Medicine prof, tireless advocate for the humanities in medicine, and a best selling novelist?); it’s nice to be reminded of the humanity of one’s heroes. A testament to the power of deep friendship, fostered over time by a shared interest. Recommended.
Tracking
1998 publication year 3 of 20
United States
As someone who loves his fiction, I found it jarring to meet Verghese as himself—all at once petty, needy, vain, kind, playful, and a masterful and methodical teacher of internal medicine. I had mindlessly projected a sense of near-perfection on him (Stanford Medicine prof, tireless advocate for the humanities in medicine, and a best selling novelist?); it’s nice to be reminded of the humanity of one’s heroes. A testament to the power of deep friendship, fostered over time by a shared interest. Recommended.
Tracking
1998 publication year 3 of 20
United States
November 22, 2024
This is an earlier book by the talented Abraham Verghese (Cutting for Stone, The Covenant of Water) and is a memoir about his friendship with a young Australian intern, David Smith. Dr. Verghese met Smith shortly after joining the department of internal medicine at the Texas Tech School of Medicine in El Paso.
Verghese and Smith had a teacher - student relationship that grew into an increasingly intimate friendship starting first with their mutual love of tennis. Both were on shaky ground in their personal lives - Verghese's marriage was on the rocks and Smith had just returned to his final year in medical school following a stint in rehab for cocaine addiction.
Verghese doesn't shy away from his own vulnerabilities as he expertly draws the parameters of his friendship with David and his own struggles with his marriage. With writing that is beautiful, lyrical and honest, the book explores the complexities of loneliness, friendship, change, loss, grief, and addiction. Although the medical terminology and tennis technicalities often were above my head, what came through strongly was Verghese's passion for both medicine and tennis. A compulsively readable book that offers up much to ponder about the many ways we all cope with our fears, vulnerabilities, and losses.
Verghese and Smith had a teacher - student relationship that grew into an increasingly intimate friendship starting first with their mutual love of tennis. Both were on shaky ground in their personal lives - Verghese's marriage was on the rocks and Smith had just returned to his final year in medical school following a stint in rehab for cocaine addiction.
Verghese doesn't shy away from his own vulnerabilities as he expertly draws the parameters of his friendship with David and his own struggles with his marriage. With writing that is beautiful, lyrical and honest, the book explores the complexities of loneliness, friendship, change, loss, grief, and addiction. Although the medical terminology and tennis technicalities often were above my head, what came through strongly was Verghese's passion for both medicine and tennis. A compulsively readable book that offers up much to ponder about the many ways we all cope with our fears, vulnerabilities, and losses.
April 30, 2025
I think this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. A book about male friendship from the same guy who wrote cutting for stone and covenant of water. Hit harder on addiction than Demon Copperhead. Would LOVE this if I was in med school.
“Man can’t live on spaghetti alone”
“Within your secrets lies your sickness
“Man can’t live on spaghetti alone”
“Within your secrets lies your sickness
April 12, 2016
My husband started reading this after me, since we both go to the same book club, and he wondered, only a few pages in, what a bunch of Mormons (since most of us are Mormon in this book club), would have to talk about drug addiction.
But this book is so much more than drug addiction. It's so much more than friendship. Frankly, one of the simplest tings I took from this book is that ... we don't necessarily know everything about the people in our lives, AND we shouldn't assume things about those people, either.
*******SPOILER ALERT************
While I am sure the doctor's loss was profound, in truth, he only knew his tennis partner about a year. One wonders, if he had known him earlier in life, if he would have had a different perception.
I think this book was good enough at opening the doors to several aspects of people and friendships.
However, I think there were times when there were too many references to tennis, when it went into technical terms that I, as a reader, frankly skimmed past. However, those went away toward the end of the book. The doctor has a good feel of words and prose, really making me feel for and understand (somewhat) some of the people in his life. And that is what nonfiction stories should do -- allow me to see and be part of a life that I might not otherwise experience.
But this book is so much more than drug addiction. It's so much more than friendship. Frankly, one of the simplest tings I took from this book is that ... we don't necessarily know everything about the people in our lives, AND we shouldn't assume things about those people, either.
*******SPOILER ALERT************
While I am sure the doctor's loss was profound, in truth, he only knew his tennis partner about a year. One wonders, if he had known him earlier in life, if he would have had a different perception.
I think this book was good enough at opening the doors to several aspects of people and friendships.
However, I think there were times when there were too many references to tennis, when it went into technical terms that I, as a reader, frankly skimmed past. However, those went away toward the end of the book. The doctor has a good feel of words and prose, really making me feel for and understand (somewhat) some of the people in his life. And that is what nonfiction stories should do -- allow me to see and be part of a life that I might not otherwise experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2011
When I saw that Abraham Verghese had written a book that had "tennis" in the title, I knew that I had to read it. I am a "club" player myself, and I enjoy reading about someone who loves the game. The book, however, really isn't about tennis, it's about the relationship that is borne from regular tennis games between the author and David Smith. The friendship that develops between Abraham and David is told with a striking vulnerability in the context of the intensity of the daily routine in a teaching hospital in Texas. Abraham is the lead doctor and David is repeating a year of his internship because of his past drug use.
From the start, I knew the book was going to be a tragedy, but the description of how two men are able to forge a bond through their tennis game is a truly honest reflection on the stages of adult friendship. As Verghese masterfully details tennis strokes or patient conditions within the story, the story doesn't lose it's momentum. This was a gem of a book, and a fantastic memoir.
From the start, I knew the book was going to be a tragedy, but the description of how two men are able to forge a bond through their tennis game is a truly honest reflection on the stages of adult friendship. As Verghese masterfully details tennis strokes or patient conditions within the story, the story doesn't lose it's momentum. This was a gem of a book, and a fantastic memoir.
July 27, 2011
This is a profound book about friendship and the human soul. Verghese is a perceptive physician who has studied the human body and mind and is able to share his insights in beautiful prose. He has made many keen observations of the motivations and behavior of physicians and perhaps all professionals. "A child will always feel insufficient and powerless in a world of adults" is an example.
Adults find themselves on dark paths. They can come out by reaching to human connections.
"Keep the ball in play. Keep your eye on the ball. Follow through. These are admonitions for both tennis and life."
My comments do not capture the insightful mind and pithy writing of this author.
A friend described this story as very sad. That may be true but the writing is spare and clear and the author has described the meaning of friendship with extraordinary feeling.
Adults find themselves on dark paths. They can come out by reaching to human connections.
"Keep the ball in play. Keep your eye on the ball. Follow through. These are admonitions for both tennis and life."
My comments do not capture the insightful mind and pithy writing of this author.
A friend described this story as very sad. That may be true but the writing is spare and clear and the author has described the meaning of friendship with extraordinary feeling.
July 4, 2018
Verghese is a wonderful, thoughtful writer. While I did not find this book as engaging as his novel (Cutting for Stone) or his earlier memoir of being a foreign doctor in rural America as the AIDS epidemic hit (My Own Country), his is a mind always worth spending time with. How he writes these beautiful books while maintaining a powerhouse career in academic medicine blows me away. His compassionate observation is the common thread between the doctor and the writer. This sad book deals with a friendship he formed with a medical student who was a recovering drug addict, at the time his own marriage was falling apart. My frustration with the book was that the character of the friend remained opaque, but I suspect that is the nature of addiction. Maybe he wrote this book to try to better understand this person he cared about but could ultimately not save.
June 8, 2020
I love tennis and I loved Cutting for Stone, and maybe that's part of what made this book such a disappointment to me. After reading this, I am no longer interested in Dr. Verghese, nor do I like him very much. He is so full of himself and completely unaware of the feelings of other people, from his wife to his students to his "friend" David. He is disappointed over and over because David is not who he wants him to be--an internist, a faithful boyfriend, an available tennis partner--instead of accepting and supporting David as he is. Instead everything is all about him. Even at the tragic end, he focuses on his own feelings of betrayal.
And as a physician who treats a lot of addicts, why does he seem so clueless about addiction, even to the point of dismissing David's diagnosis of a sexual addiction as ridiculous? Ugh.
And as a physician who treats a lot of addicts, why does he seem so clueless about addiction, even to the point of dismissing David's diagnosis of a sexual addiction as ridiculous? Ugh.
May 10, 2024
Unless you are a male who loves tennis, skip this book. Thinking Verghese was infallible after reading "Cutting for Stone" and "The Covenant of Water", I naturally picked up this book as soon as I heard about it. He's still got style, no doubt about it, but really boring. A doctor in New Mexico befriends a young intern who is a former pro tennis player from Australia. I've never read a book about male friendships before so I was really attracted to that aspect of the plot. The story is that the young intern is a complicated and interesting character, while a thinly veiled Verghese as a doctor of internal medicine becomes friends with him. The doctor is so excited about having a tennis partner and mentoring this young intern at the same time. It's definitely not Verghese at his finest hour.
February 24, 2015
Review to follow.
September 4, 2024
I know next to nothing about tennis, very little about practicing medicine or addiction, but I do know fantastic writing, and this book has it through and through.
June 8, 2013
I really like Verghese's writing, and consider the subject of his book both interesting and worthwhile. As someone who is neither a tennis player nor a spectator, I found the lengthy tennis references somewhat distracting. While others seemed to admire the way the author used the tennis sessions to parallel and enhance other aspects of the story, I couldn't fully share their appreciation of those parts. I can't deny that these sections are absolutely essential to the book, but feel they might have benefitted from some editing. I found myself skimming through the more technical and historical tennis references to get to what I considered the "meat" of the narrative.
The very intimate friendship between two men who inhabit such different worlds was beautifully portrayed. The flip-flop of their roles as mentor and teacher in the hospital setting and then on the tennis court made for a complex and thought-provoking narrative. How sad and scary that substance abuse is so prevalent among those in medical professions, and what an insightful commentary on the different challenges posed in the treatment of mental health issues, both in the context of the unfair stigma associated with them, and the very real risk of allowing a mentally unstable person such as David to take on the role of doctor. The question of a friend's responsibility and role in recovery is a central theme, and perhaps a question that continues to haunt the author.
Excellent selection for a book club discussion!
The very intimate friendship between two men who inhabit such different worlds was beautifully portrayed. The flip-flop of their roles as mentor and teacher in the hospital setting and then on the tennis court made for a complex and thought-provoking narrative. How sad and scary that substance abuse is so prevalent among those in medical professions, and what an insightful commentary on the different challenges posed in the treatment of mental health issues, both in the context of the unfair stigma associated with them, and the very real risk of allowing a mentally unstable person such as David to take on the role of doctor. The question of a friend's responsibility and role in recovery is a central theme, and perhaps a question that continues to haunt the author.
Excellent selection for a book club discussion!
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