Unsheltered

Every time I start reading a book I love I find myself slowing down, setting the book down in the middle of a chapter, rereading a page or two, going back and reading an earlier chapter again—-doing anything, in short, in order to prolong the experience, to avoid the inevitable last page.

That's how I felt about Unsheltered.

There is so much to admire about this book. The structure of the novel is brilliantly constructed. Kingsolver tells two stories, one in present day, and one just after the Civil War, both set in the same location. In both stories, the people living in the house find that at the same time their lives are collapsing around them, their house is also collapsing. Both sets of characters live in times in which rational thought, scientific thought, faces off against thought weakly supported yet widely believed, and both sets of characters struggle to stand on scientific high ground. The characters are deeply human, with both great strengths and great flaws. The dialogue between characters is snappy and clever, full of thoughtfulness. But the book is even more than just brilliant structure, fascinating characters, and snappy dialogue; it's a book that leaves its readers thinking about the big ideas in life, thinking about relationships where two people are unevenly yoked, thinking about how a ne'er-do-well child can sometimes show strength of character greater than the shining star child, thinking about the importance of struggle in life, thinking about so many things....A fabulous book that everyone who feels the deep dismay about the world so common today among thoughtful people needs to read.

I consider myself a Kingsolver fan, but this is by far my least favorite of her books. It has a jumble of intentions, I think. It is anti-Trump and pro-science, which is to be expected and admired, but even more heavy-handed than usual. There are two stories here that connect loosely, one a contemporary account of a family living in a ramshackle house in New Jersey just as Trump is being elected and another family living on the same street in the late 19th Century when the Darwin controversy is still raging.

3.5 stars. This book was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the writing and dual timelines. The comparison between what was occurring in the past and present was interesting to me. At the same time, the characters seemed one dimensional and there wasn't much nuance when it came to their views on social and political issues. It is worth the read if you are a fan of Barbara Kingsolver and like literary fiction. Otherwise, you might not find this to be a compelling novel.

HELL YEAH I love Barbara Kingsolver and I loved this book! I loved both stories–the present-day one as well as its historical counterpart. I loved these characters. I love how timely it is.

(I saw some negative reviews calling this “preachy” and you know what, it is, and I say PREACH BARBARA, TAKE ME TO CHURCHHH)