The Lacuna

I just finished reading Barbara Kingsolver's most recent novel, The Lacuna. Always one of my favorite writers, Barbara Kingsolver has created another beautifully worded and engaging tale. Born in the U.S, the main character Harrison Shepherd moves to Mexico as a boy with his Mexican mother.  His years in Mexico resonate with the sights, tastes, and smells of this colorful country as he experiences the social and political waves that occurred in the first part of the 20th century. Living with and in the employ of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and later Russian political activist Lev Trotsky, Shepherd's experiences forever shape his destiny.

As you get to the end of the novel where Shepherd has moved to Asheville, North Carolina, you might detect some parallels between his experiences in post World War II United States and the current political climate. Then it was fear of communists--now it's fear of Muslims.

I highly recommend this novel.