By Lisa Newman. Special to the Clarion-Ledger Sunday print edition (November 4)
Life is not what Willa Knox thought it would be: middle-aged, living in an inherited, dilapidated house in Vineland, New Jersey, with her family. Her career in journalism has led to freelance work at best, and her husband makes do with adjunct work at the local college. A daughter is still living at home and her son is burdened with the loss of his wife. Willa takes on the care of their newborn son and her ailing, Greek father-in-law.
On the 20th anniversary of The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver gives us a timely novel in Unsheltered which examines uncertainty many Americans face in their jobs, education and healthcare. She creates a parallel with the life of Thatcher Greenwood, a teacher in 1880s Vineland, New Jersey, living in the same dilapidated house that Willa’s family inhabits. The culture of Thatcher Greenwood is plagued with fear as well. Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species has set off a battle between conservative religious groups, advocates of science and reason, and the free press.
Kingsolver seamlessly connects these two families in alternating chapters. As Willa faces an unexpected life change in raising her grandson, Thatcher tries to get his bearings on the realities of a new marriage. As Willa immerses herself in the history of Vineland and her house in the hopes of receiving a grant for historic preservation of the house, Thatcher Greenwood’s relationship with his neighbor and botanist, Mary Treat, blossoms.
Unsheltered is a novel driven by cultural paradigm shifts. Every character has his or her own pointed views. Every character has his or her flaws. Young people exhibit boisterous idealism while old people struggle to see the world with a new lens, fearing the loss of everything they have come to know. The families of Willa and Thatcher feel the physical threat of the poorly constructed house and the potential loss of shelter.
At the same time, characters in both time periods struggle to feel confident in the face of change, “To stand in the clear light of day . . . Unsheltered.” Mary Treat reflects: “’I suppose it is in our nature . . . When men fear the loss of what they know, they will follow any tyrant who promises to restore the old order.’”
Kingsolver asks her readers: “Can history help us navigate an impossible-looking future? Seems worth asking. What I know for sure is that stories will get us through times of no leadership, better than leaders will get us through times with no stories.”
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver is Lemuria’s October 2018 selection for our First Editions Club for Fiction, honoring our 25th anniversary of the club. Title-signed first editions are available here.
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