A review by kdawn999
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

3.0

3.5 stars. I haven’t read a Barbara Kingsolver since high school when I read Poisonwood Bible and Bean Trees. I don’t love this one as much as those, but I liked listening to her voice read her own strong lines and sentence turns. The energy of this book comes from splitting narratives in two timelines—the primary set in 2016 and the secondary set in 1875. I like how the chapter titles pick up with the ending lines of the previous chapter. The characters in the 2016 timeline, located on the same plot of land as those in the 1875, feel fully realized and empathetically explored. That narrative is almost entirely character driven, with little plot. There is politically commentary—lament if you read between the lines—on the turn of that election, though, thankfully, the election is only backdrop and stays out of focus. There is a gripping tragedy at the start of the modern timeline, and the educated yet impoverished family members are trying to cope. Though nothing dramatic takes over after the opening, I found myself sucked into the family’s world. Then there’s the 1875 timeline, which does have some drama. I was surprised to learn the drama is all historical truth and not the author’s entire invention. There are interesting thematic overlaps regarding science versus religious or political fanaticism between the timelines that I found productive. I don’t feel it was beating me over the head politically—perhaps because I mainly agree with the politics of the protagonists—rather, I commiserate with the leads in both timelines on the rejection of evidence and science by so many. A worthwhile read, but not a book striving to be something great. A marker for this unstable decade.