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A review by shimmery
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
3.0
This book has two narratives. The first is set in present day and follows Willa and her family, who have come to live in a structurally unsound house the family have inherited after changes in circumstances see them with nowhere else to go. Willa is a freelance writer out of work, her husband, Iano, has a low paid academic position lacking in security, and their adult daughter, Tig, has turned up on their doorstep after disappearing to Cuba for a year. This group must take care of Iano’s terminally ill father, and the baby of Willa’s son, whose mother has committed suicide.
The second narrative follows neighbours Thatcher Greenwood and Mary Treat, who live on the same plot of land but in the nineteenth century. Mary Treat was a real nineteenth century biologist who was a correspondent of Darwin among other notable scientists. Much of the events in this narrative are historically accurate, and show the founding premise of Vineland, set up to be a utopian idyll. Thatcher Greenwood, one of the only entirely fictional characters in this narrative, is a science teacher struggling against resistance to his lessons on the recent discoveries of Charles Darwin.
Personally I thought the book could have done without the nineteenth century narrative. While Mary Treat’s story is interesting, as is the concept of founding a new society, these could have been worked in to the present day narrative through Willa who begins to research these anyway after discovering her home’s history in attempts to get a grant to have it repaired. As it is, this part of the story lacks in any real depth and is slow moving. That said, the author’s intentions are clear — both narratives show resistance to new discoveries and the change these might provoke, in the 19th century this is Darwinism and the present day it is climate change.
What this book does well is the family dynamics in the modern day story. I think the examining of familial relationships is Kingsolver’s strength and what I enjoyed in the other book of hers I’ve read, The Poisonwood Bible. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Willa and Tig, who having had little understanding between them previously grow closer throughout the course of the story, with Willa recognising how her biases towards her son damaged her daughter. I also liked the way that, through Tig, we are offered a solution to the problem of climate change — a lifestyle based on adaptation, sharing, recycling and a move away from consumerism. And this is actually shown to be a fulfilling and happy life. I think it’s rare in books that warn of climate change that we see some hope presented, so I appreciated that.
However, this story can at times be simplistic, just as the other narrative is. The dying grandfather is shown to be racist, climate change denying and generally unpleasant, also a Trump supporter. He has little redeeming features and there’s a binary suggested that doesn’t allow for any nuance. Similarly, in the 19th century the good intentions of the founding fathers of Vineland are drowned out by a Scarlet Letter style story in which there are only simple villains.
I would recommend this book if it was 200 pages shorter with less of the 19th century narrative, but as it is, though it has given me a lot to think about and I did enjoy it, I don’t think I’d be quick to push this 500+ pages book on anyone unless they were especially interested in Mary Treat.
The second narrative follows neighbours Thatcher Greenwood and Mary Treat, who live on the same plot of land but in the nineteenth century. Mary Treat was a real nineteenth century biologist who was a correspondent of Darwin among other notable scientists. Much of the events in this narrative are historically accurate, and show the founding premise of Vineland, set up to be a utopian idyll. Thatcher Greenwood, one of the only entirely fictional characters in this narrative, is a science teacher struggling against resistance to his lessons on the recent discoveries of Charles Darwin.
Personally I thought the book could have done without the nineteenth century narrative. While Mary Treat’s story is interesting, as is the concept of founding a new society, these could have been worked in to the present day narrative through Willa who begins to research these anyway after discovering her home’s history in attempts to get a grant to have it repaired. As it is, this part of the story lacks in any real depth and is slow moving. That said, the author’s intentions are clear — both narratives show resistance to new discoveries and the change these might provoke, in the 19th century this is Darwinism and the present day it is climate change.
What this book does well is the family dynamics in the modern day story. I think the examining of familial relationships is Kingsolver’s strength and what I enjoyed in the other book of hers I’ve read, The Poisonwood Bible. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Willa and Tig, who having had little understanding between them previously grow closer throughout the course of the story, with Willa recognising how her biases towards her son damaged her daughter. I also liked the way that, through Tig, we are offered a solution to the problem of climate change — a lifestyle based on adaptation, sharing, recycling and a move away from consumerism. And this is actually shown to be a fulfilling and happy life. I think it’s rare in books that warn of climate change that we see some hope presented, so I appreciated that.
However, this story can at times be simplistic, just as the other narrative is. The dying grandfather is shown to be racist, climate change denying and generally unpleasant, also a Trump supporter. He has little redeeming features and there’s a binary suggested that doesn’t allow for any nuance. Similarly, in the 19th century the good intentions of the founding fathers of Vineland are drowned out by a Scarlet Letter style story in which there are only simple villains.
I would recommend this book if it was 200 pages shorter with less of the 19th century narrative, but as it is, though it has given me a lot to think about and I did enjoy it, I don’t think I’d be quick to push this 500+ pages book on anyone unless they were especially interested in Mary Treat.