|
| Foocha! is a non-profit Web site. We do it for kicks, not for cash. If you're interested in writing for the site, click here |
|
 |
| The Poisonwood Bible,
Barbara Kingsolver |
|
 |
|
| Books,
Debbie Fagan,
27 January 2001 |
Rating: F4
|
|
| |
| |
|
The year is 1959, missionary Nathan Price sets off with his wife and four daughters to the Belgian Congo in a vain attempt to bring salvation to native Africans. The novel explores the price some men are selfishly willing to pay and at what, and whose, expense.
Central to the first half of The Poisonwood Bible is the close study of the obstinate character of a man on the one hand a Baptist preacher, on the other a father and utterly demanding husband. His unfounded belief that he can adapt to an African way of life and expect the women around him to face the challenge in silence costs him and his young family dearly. His abrasive, brusque character alienates him from the local villagers too, putting his faith in jeopardy.
Kingsolver’s tome of truly epic proportions spans 30 years, allowing us, in the second half, to follow each girl as they diverge and set out to discover new frontiers, both personal and geographic.
The Poisonwood Bible speaks in multiple tongues, each of the women having chapters in which they narrate their private observations and personal experiences. Their physical hardship is immediately made apparent, whilst the mental torture is slower and more insidious. Most poignant of all is that of the ever-suffering wife and mother who finds Africa, with its venomous snakes and far more lethal militant Congolese too heavy a weight to bear. The one teenage daughter, Adah's predelection for malapropisms starts out being entertaining but then quickly degenerates into an irritant. What these alternating perspectives of each woman give us is a multiple insight into the different internal experiences of the same external forces. Furthermore their varying stages of sexual awakening adds an interesting psychological dimension to this inhospitable landscape.
A masterfully rich tapestry of inter-woven characters, an omnipresent backdrop of African symbolism and an enviable attention to political detail makes this a must read. Kingsolver’s political voice clearly resonates throughout this book while she is delving into the other weighty issues of love, religion and culture. Not short but highly recommended!
Faber and Faber 1998
Top Home |
|
|
|
|
