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timeywriter 's review for:
The Lacuna
by Barbara Kingsolver
Mexico in the 1920's and 30's was awash with revolution, both politically and artistically. In the same household as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera comes a story of another man's journey that is just as artistic.
Though Harrison William Shepherd is born in the United States, his Mexican mother takes him back to her homeland when he is a child. As she skips around to different lovers, Shepherd attempts to make his own way about being a child split between two worlds. Feeling an artistic draw, he becomes a plaster boy for the famous artist, Diego Rivera. After a stint back in the United States for schooling, Shepherd returns to Mexico and finds a job as a cook in the home of Diego Rivera and his wife, Frida Kahlo. Surrounding himself with these two famous artists, Shepherd details his experiences in his journals. Amidst the revolution in Mexico and harboring a revolutionary from Russia, Shepherd is literally plastered in the moment of upheaval in the early 20th century. Though he moves on and returns to the United States, settling down to become a writer, the experiences Shepherd had in the Kahlo and Rivera household remains with him throughout the expanse of his life. The narration, through journal entries, provided a deep and personal view into Shepherd's life and hinted at even that which he wanted to leave covered up. I adored the relationship between Shepherd and Frida, their plucky nature and their shared artistic souls. While I found it slightly disappointing that Shepherd returned to the United States and the moments with Frida diminished, I still found the whole of his story engaging.
Not only was this story one that showed the personal life of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, it also provided a look into the life of a regular man standing beside such greatness with a shrug on his shoulders. It humbled history and it made it realistic in the way only someone who is living history can portray it.
Though Harrison William Shepherd is born in the United States, his Mexican mother takes him back to her homeland when he is a child. As she skips around to different lovers, Shepherd attempts to make his own way about being a child split between two worlds. Feeling an artistic draw, he becomes a plaster boy for the famous artist, Diego Rivera. After a stint back in the United States for schooling, Shepherd returns to Mexico and finds a job as a cook in the home of Diego Rivera and his wife, Frida Kahlo. Surrounding himself with these two famous artists, Shepherd details his experiences in his journals. Amidst the revolution in Mexico and harboring a revolutionary from Russia, Shepherd is literally plastered in the moment of upheaval in the early 20th century. Though he moves on and returns to the United States, settling down to become a writer, the experiences Shepherd had in the Kahlo and Rivera household remains with him throughout the expanse of his life. The narration, through journal entries, provided a deep and personal view into Shepherd's life and hinted at even that which he wanted to leave covered up. I adored the relationship between Shepherd and Frida, their plucky nature and their shared artistic souls. While I found it slightly disappointing that Shepherd returned to the United States and the moments with Frida diminished, I still found the whole of his story engaging.
Not only was this story one that showed the personal life of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, it also provided a look into the life of a regular man standing beside such greatness with a shrug on his shoulders. It humbled history and it made it realistic in the way only someone who is living history can portray it.