Marion Stone

Marion Stone is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Marion Stone enters the world when his mother, Sister Mary Praise, unexpectedly goes into labor despite the fact that she is allegedly a celibate nun. Unbeknownst to Mary or the medical staff, Marion is a twin, conjoined at the head to his brother, Shiva. The labor and delivery are too much for Sister Mary Praise, and she dies in childbirth. Thomas Stone, the twins' father, is so distraught that he abandons the boys, and Africa altogether, leaving the infants to be raised by Hema and Ghosh, two highly-skilled surgeons at Missing Hospital.

As the twins age, they often wonder about their father, Thomas Stone, and why he abandoned them. They love their parents, Hema and Ghosh, but Marion in particular, daydreams about his real father returning. Marion spends most of his childhood obsessing over his best friend...