Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

 

I have to admit I did not initially think this book would make it into my blog, as I only include books I would recommend.  I was not immediately gripped and it took me over 50 pages to get into it – I wondered whether I would make it through all 520 pages.  However, after persevering I was rewarded, becoming absorbed by the story and keen to know both what would happen next and more about the characters.  I even found myself sad to be running out of pages, rather than happy to be finishing it.  Whilst it has its faults – it is by no means perfect and has been accused of being too “preachy” – I would recommend it if the story and themes interest you.

The novel is set in Vineland, New Jersey and centres on one particular house.  In modern day the house is occupied by the Tavoularis family who have newly inherited it.  The main character is Willa, a wife and mother who is struggling to adjust to her new home and is beset by worries about how best to care for her grown-up children and ill father-in-law.

Every other chapter is set in 1871 when the house was inhabited by Thatcher Greenwood and his new wife, along with her younger sister and mother.  Thatcher is the newly appointed science teacher at the local school and is desperate to provide his students with a complete and genuine science education.  But in this supposed utopian town in Victorian America, Dawin’s evolutionary theory is causing a stir, threatening to uproot and disprove the Christian foundations of society and lower the position of humanity to the level of mere animals.  Thatcher soon discovers that both his employer and his town’s founder and de facto Mayor are firmly set against true investigative science.

As the story progresses similar themes emerge between the two time periods.  The most obvious similarity is the state of the house and the need for both Willa and Thatcher to find the funds to fix the structure which is literally falling down around them.  Willa investigates the potential historical worth of the property as a way of securing a preservation grant, and her subsequent research into the Thatcher time period is a clever plot device which provides the reader with additional information about the characters as well as hints at what is yet to happen.  Other topics where interesting comparisons emerge include education, politics, freedom of speech, relationships and job security.  The central theme of the novel is humanity’s need for shelter, both physical and societal, and there are repeated references to different aspects of shelter and safety or the illusion of security.

The alternating chapters work well as you not only get a break from certain characters, which I found refreshing and helpful in the first half of the novel, but it enables the comparison and linking of themes across the almost 150 year gap.  At different points I preferred reading about one or other time periods, but they both have interesting plots and characters you can root for.  The modern day chapters made some very interesting and insightful comments about the state of the world, with family members providing a range of viewpoints.  This is then set against the backdrop of fascinating debate and discussion on the origins and evolution of life and the purposes of scientific observation.

The central characters are well developed and I enjoyed getting to know them and following them through their various crises and realisations.  The fact that I found certain characters annoying or frustrating demonstrates how real they seemed.  Some of the characters from the 1871 time period are in fact real people.  Thatcher is not, but his botanist neighbour Mary Treat and the town founder Charles Landis were and several incidents that occur are based on real events.  Discovering this added another layer of interest to my reading, as well as admiration and disgust.