914. The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver
1998

Around 550 pages

This is a novel that broke my heart, and turned my mild ant aversion into a full blown phobia. But I respect it when the List authors terrorize me well, so I have to hand it to Barbara Kingsolver for breaking my heart so skillfully.

This is the story of the Prices, a missionary family who moves from Georgia to the Belgian Congo in the 1960s. The Price family consists of Orleanna and Nathan, and their four daughters Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. They must acclimate to the cultural dissonance, as well as face threats to their safety that they've never seen before. Did you know that ants consume babies in cribs? Why aren't we mobilizing against these things?

The events of this novel really tug at your heartstrings. She's an emotional writer but she never crosses the line into melodrama, although this was selected for Oprah's Book Club so make of that what you will. The idea of missionary work freaks me out in general, so it was fascinating to get an inside look at the family and explore their place in the world. Kingsolver's writing is magical and has that Isak Dinesen ability to transport you with her prose.

Essential reading.

 

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

In 2019, it was announced there would be a television adaptation.

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