The Lacuna

I started reading The Lacuna thinking there was no way it would contest The Poisonwood Bible as my favorite book of Kingsolver's. The Poisonwood Bible is something that I would read the back cover of and instantly put in my cart because it features female narrators and criticism of religious missionaries. Even if the novel itself didn't end up being that great, I'd still like it because its foundation had elements I was already sold on. Like how I eat caramel desserts - the caramel could either be covering really delicious ice cream or a piece of dodgy fruit, but I like the caramel itself enough to put up with whatever its paired with. Luckily, The Poisonwood Bible is really delicious ice cream, and it made me think of Barbara Kingsolver herself as caramel. But, after reading the back cover of The Lacuna, I thought it might be a really mushy, old apple. Male protagonist who hangs out with Diego Rivera? Who's that? J. Edgar Hoover? No thank you. "Portrait of art itself"? Art is just not my medium, so I was reluctant to see how a novel about art would be enjoyable. 

Thankfully, I was wrong. The Lacuna features Harrison Shepherd, the son of an American father and Mexican mother who spends his life traveling between Mexico and America both physically and patriotically. Shepherd interacts with real people and events: Communist artists Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo as well as Leon Trotsky in Mexico in the 1930s, then on to America in the 1940s-50s as it gets swept up in anti-Communism.

Though on the lengthier side, The Lacuna reads like a dream. I never thought to myself "Wow, this sure is taking a long time...I wonder how many pages are left before I can finally move onto something else?" The thing I love best about Kingsolver's books is that I find myself thinking about more than just what she's saying. Does that make sense? With a less good novel, I read, I comprehend what the novel is about on the surface level, and that's it. If I hadn't liked this book, I would say, "Oh, it's about this American-Mexican dude who lives in Mexico for a while and then goes to America, where he becomes an author." But that's not what The Lacuna is about. It challenges this idea that America is perfect, and to say anything less than that makes you unAmerican. It's about loyalty and friendship and using art to speak for yourself and the people of your country. And, on top of all that, it's got great, realistic, dynamic characters, which is especially impressive considering that some of them were based on real people. I especially loved the interactions between Frida and Harrison (or Solí, short for Insólito, as she affectionately calls him). 

So, for what little my opinion is worth, I loved this book. It ranks among my favorites I've read this year (The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, and Stiff by Mary Roach, in case you were wondering, which you probably weren't). Please read it and tell me what you think. I'm talking to you, Zach Norwood and Kaitlyn Arterburn. I even got you your own copy so you've no excuse.