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A review by findyourgoldenhour
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
4.0
True confession: I love Barbara Kingsolver and will read anything she writes, forever until the end of time. I've loved her since I first read [b: The Bean Trees|30868|The Bean Trees (Greer Family, #1)|Barbara Kingsolver|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443483961s/30868.jpg|1095121] back in 1989. She is an underrated national treasure.
There have been many non-fiction books written about the Trump Era, but this might be one of the first novels written about living in these perilous times. (Don't worry, he's never mentioned by name. Merely unmistakably alluded to.) Kingsolver clearly doesn't see Trump as the problem, but as a symptom of a larger set of problems. Our world is changing rapidly around us, by the forces of climate change, changing and disappearing jobs, global market forces beyond our control, changing demographics. The old rules don't apply. Kingsolver gives us the story of an American family who played by the rules and did everything they were supposed to do, only to find themselves in their 50s and broke. They watch their adult children struggle and attempt to navigate the new world order, feeling ill-equipped to help them. She deftly weaves this story with a parallel story from a parallel time, when the world and culture was changing at the end of the 19th century, and people often felt as disoriented and unmoored as they do now. It's really well done. I connected with characters from both time periods and was rooting for them all, all the while fully recognizing their plight as our own.
I see this book has mixed reviews here on goodreads. There are several fans of her earlier work who say they felt it was "too preachy," or that they were left feeling like they were reading a lecture. Listen. It is a bit preachy. I say read it anyway, and settle in for an excellent sermon. Yes, it's a bit long, and yes, there are a few pieces of dialogue that felt a bit forced to make a point. I don't even care. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And I'll read whatever you write next, Barbara.
There have been many non-fiction books written about the Trump Era, but this might be one of the first novels written about living in these perilous times. (Don't worry, he's never mentioned by name. Merely unmistakably alluded to.) Kingsolver clearly doesn't see Trump as the problem, but as a symptom of a larger set of problems. Our world is changing rapidly around us, by the forces of climate change, changing and disappearing jobs, global market forces beyond our control, changing demographics. The old rules don't apply. Kingsolver gives us the story of an American family who played by the rules and did everything they were supposed to do, only to find themselves in their 50s and broke. They watch their adult children struggle and attempt to navigate the new world order, feeling ill-equipped to help them. She deftly weaves this story with a parallel story from a parallel time, when the world and culture was changing at the end of the 19th century, and people often felt as disoriented and unmoored as they do now. It's really well done. I connected with characters from both time periods and was rooting for them all, all the while fully recognizing their plight as our own.
I see this book has mixed reviews here on goodreads. There are several fans of her earlier work who say they felt it was "too preachy," or that they were left feeling like they were reading a lecture. Listen. It is a bit preachy. I say read it anyway, and settle in for an excellent sermon. Yes, it's a bit long, and yes, there are a few pieces of dialogue that felt a bit forced to make a point. I don't even care. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. And I'll read whatever you write next, Barbara.