The American novelist, Barbara Kingsolver, writes stories that encourage readers to think while they’re being entertained. Her novels are concerned with the great social issues of our time, such as global climate change and political turmoil.
Publishers have a variety of names for this genre, as though the lit biz can’t quite get a grip on it—social novel, social justice novel, social protest novel, political novel, the literature of social engagement. Whatever these kind of novels are called, they’re generally viewed with suspicion by critics and editors, who see little or no place for social commentary in “literature” or in sales. Happily, that attitude hasn’t stopped Kingsolver’s books from becoming best sellers, and being shortlisted for such prestigious honors as the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Kingsolver’s eighth novel, Unsheltered, was published in October. It’s more overtly political than her previous novels, as well is should be in this Time of Trump. It’s also one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking novels I’ve read in quite some time.
The plot revolves around an educated middle-class couple, a de-tenured academic and a freelance writer, as they attempt to fend off poverty and find satisfaction and fulfillment in their lives, even though they’re trapped in the gig economy and the sandwich generation. (Think boomerang children and aging parents, not mayonnaise.) What could be depressing in other hands is both humorous and enlightening. Gritty truths about how we live in Trump’s America are not Photoshopped away, but nonetheless, the characters and readers are left with a renewed sense of optimism, realistic but real.
So why was Unsheltered savaged by critics in two publications that I read faithfully and respect greatly, the New York Times and the Atlantic? Dwight Garner in the Times wrote that the novel was “dead on arrival,” and that “every other conversation threatens to become an op-ed piece of a humanistic monologue out of lesser John Steinbeck or Arthur Miller.” And those are not the worst things he has to say. Merve Emre’s review in the Atlantic is headlined “Liberal Pabulum,” and goes on to say “Tackling the Trump era, she brings us the American family-novel as Sunday talk show—all sound bite, no depth.”
Trying to get beneath the invective, Garner either has a personal axe to grind or he is simply defending the typical lit biz trope that “a novel isn’t an essay.” I think he’s also guilty of a bubble mentality, the bubble in question being the glamorous and wealthy Big Apple. He singles out for criticism one of the most truthful pieces of dialogue in the book, truthful except for economic outliers like Silicon Valley, Manhattan, and parts of Brooklyn and the New York suburbs: “It just seems like…I don’t know. There’s less money in the world than there used to be. I don’t know how else to put it. Like something’s broken.”
Emre, who may be an American but who teaches at Oxford, picks on the same line of dialogue, but apparently for a totally different reason. She seems to think that Kingsolver has only a superficial understanding of the horror show that is America, writing that Unsheltered “fails so dramatically to capture the corrosive realities of liberal capitalism.” (Perhaps she would have been more satisfied if Kingsolver had written, “there’s no money in the world” rather than “less,” a sad truth for about fifty percent of our citizens.)
Moreover, Emre takes conventional lit biz wisdom a step further, or perhaps she’s trying to explain it, by dismissing novels like Unsheltered, as a “middlebrow fantasy that stories can help us get through these dark times.” In other words, novelists, don’t bother to try.
As a novelist, I despair how the lit biz seems determined to rope fence socially-conscious fiction, pooh-poohing any attempt to deal with the major issues that affect our daily lives, and that will affect the daily lives of our children and grandchildren and their children, assuming the planet is still livable. So its heartening to note that Unsheltered is an Amazon Best Book and a New York Times’ bestseller, reaching as high as #2 on the hardcover fiction list.
It would be a shame if influential reviews like Garner’s and Emre’s start to take their toll in sales. My advice is don’t take their advice. Unsheltered is a really good, meaty read that will not disappoint. Buy it!
Unsheltered: A Novel
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 13,436 ratings
Price: 1.99
Last update: 01-23-2025
About this item
New York Times Bestseller * Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, O: The Oprah Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek
"Kingsolver brilliantly captures both the price of profound change and how it can pave the way not only for future generations, but also for a radiant, unexpected expansion of the heart." — O: The Oprah Magazine
The acclaimedauthor of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a story about two families, in two centuries, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family's one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.
In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town's powerful men.
A timely and "utterly captivating" novel (San Francisco Chronicle), Unsheltered interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.
"Kingsolver brilliantly captures both the price of profound change and how it can pave the way not only for future generations, but also for a radiant, unexpected expansion of the heart." — O: The Oprah Magazine
The acclaimedauthor of The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a story about two families, in two centuries, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family's one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.
In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town's powerful men.
A timely and "utterly captivating" novel (San Francisco Chronicle), Unsheltered interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.
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Top reviews from the United States
Garth Hallberg5.0 out of 5 stars The Lit Biz Eats Its Best and Brightest
Martie Nees Record4.0 out of 5 stars Kingsolver does it again. Great read.
Genre: Family Sagas/Historical Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub. Date: October 16, 2018
Barbara Kingsolver is a powerhouse of a writer and one of my preferred authors. “Poisonwood Bible” remains a favorite book of mine. In her latest novel, she sticks with her familiar themes—environment, religion, and social issues. The setting goes back and forth between America’s current troubles to America’s troubled past. In the present, we meet a fictional college-educated, middle-class family who live in the real-life city of Vineland, NJ. To their shock, a few career setbacks and an ailing parent's medical bills have caused a downgrade in their economic status. Kingsolver is at her best when asking “how could this have happened to us?…we did everything right.” She makes it easy to realize that your life too could turn on a dime. To add to the family’s woes, their centuries-old house is literally crumbling around them. Willa, the family matriarch, has learned that their house may have once been the home to real-life Mary Treat. Treat was a self-taught naturalist and correspondent with Charles Darwin. Willa begins to write a historical preservation grant in hopes that the grant will pay for the house renovations.
In the past, Kingsolver takes us back to when Mary Treat was a working naturalist, which was immediately post civil war. Her reasons for this time period are clear and very clever. The troubles for the family in current times begin when Trump announced he was running for president. Donald Trump’s name never appears in the novel but it is clear that he is “the Bullhorn…who promises to restore the old order…the billionaire running for president who’s never lifted a finger in work…the candidate who brags that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and people would still vote for him.” The past is my favorite part of the book since it is such a classroom experience without the homework assignments. I was fascinated to learn that back then, Vineland was created to be a utopian community. It was founded by nonfictional Charles Landis. He was a Trumpian-like real estate developer who really did shoot someone in the middle of the street and get away with it. Landis had a strong dislike for Darwin since the opinion of the times was that Darwin was threatening religious beliefs. He did not want Darwin’s theories, or any already proven scientific facts to be taught in Vineland’s schools. Sounds familiar right? Trump’s (so-called) Christian anti-science moves are spelled out loud and clear. In an interview with Kirkus Reviews, Kingsolver states, “I chose the 1870s as my alternate world because I knew it was a really difficult, polarized moment in our history…..Racial divisions, urban/rural divisions, North/South divisions—those rifts were ripped open by the Civil War.”
I left out reviewing a few very good subplots for they would be spoilers. Between the alternating timelines, I preferred the story in the past. The present-day timeline borders on preachy. How we long for careers that ultimately fail to bring happiness or sometimes not even financial stability. How spoiled we can be. How we want and waste. All true, but no one likes a lecture in the middle of a story no matter how much you may like the plot and the characters. Oddly, the past felt fresh. I enjoyed reading about young America’s growing pains. How hard the scientific minds had to fight to be heard. I do have a rather petty criticism on the writing. The words “sheltered” and “unsheltered” come up repeatedly. It felt as if Kingsolver didn’t think her audience capable of making the connections. I don’t believe that in her book ‘Poisonwood Bible,’ (which is about a missionary family in the Belgian Congo) the title words pop up at all. She trusted that her readers would make the connection that, like a poisonwood tree, religion too can become dangerous when mishandled. This does not mean that I didn’t enjoy “Unsheltered,” for I very much did. And, will not think twice about recommending the book. As usual, Kingsolver gives her readers plenty to wonder about. In this novel, she does an amazing job of penning an engaging story about human existence combined with a well-researched tale on past and present American politics.
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pub. Date: October 16, 2018
Barbara Kingsolver is a powerhouse of a writer and one of my preferred authors. “Poisonwood Bible” remains a favorite book of mine. In her latest novel, she sticks with her familiar themes—environment, religion, and social issues. The setting goes back and forth between America’s current troubles to America’s troubled past. In the present, we meet a fictional college-educated, middle-class family who live in the real-life city of Vineland, NJ. To their shock, a few career setbacks and an ailing parent's medical bills have caused a downgrade in their economic status. Kingsolver is at her best when asking “how could this have happened to us?…we did everything right.” She makes it easy to realize that your life too could turn on a dime. To add to the family’s woes, their centuries-old house is literally crumbling around them. Willa, the family matriarch, has learned that their house may have once been the home to real-life Mary Treat. Treat was a self-taught naturalist and correspondent with Charles Darwin. Willa begins to write a historical preservation grant in hopes that the grant will pay for the house renovations.
In the past, Kingsolver takes us back to when Mary Treat was a working naturalist, which was immediately post civil war. Her reasons for this time period are clear and very clever. The troubles for the family in current times begin when Trump announced he was running for president. Donald Trump’s name never appears in the novel but it is clear that he is “the Bullhorn…who promises to restore the old order…the billionaire running for president who’s never lifted a finger in work…the candidate who brags that he could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and people would still vote for him.” The past is my favorite part of the book since it is such a classroom experience without the homework assignments. I was fascinated to learn that back then, Vineland was created to be a utopian community. It was founded by nonfictional Charles Landis. He was a Trumpian-like real estate developer who really did shoot someone in the middle of the street and get away with it. Landis had a strong dislike for Darwin since the opinion of the times was that Darwin was threatening religious beliefs. He did not want Darwin’s theories, or any already proven scientific facts to be taught in Vineland’s schools. Sounds familiar right? Trump’s (so-called) Christian anti-science moves are spelled out loud and clear. In an interview with Kirkus Reviews, Kingsolver states, “I chose the 1870s as my alternate world because I knew it was a really difficult, polarized moment in our history…..Racial divisions, urban/rural divisions, North/South divisions—those rifts were ripped open by the Civil War.”
I left out reviewing a few very good subplots for they would be spoilers. Between the alternating timelines, I preferred the story in the past. The present-day timeline borders on preachy. How we long for careers that ultimately fail to bring happiness or sometimes not even financial stability. How spoiled we can be. How we want and waste. All true, but no one likes a lecture in the middle of a story no matter how much you may like the plot and the characters. Oddly, the past felt fresh. I enjoyed reading about young America’s growing pains. How hard the scientific minds had to fight to be heard. I do have a rather petty criticism on the writing. The words “sheltered” and “unsheltered” come up repeatedly. It felt as if Kingsolver didn’t think her audience capable of making the connections. I don’t believe that in her book ‘Poisonwood Bible,’ (which is about a missionary family in the Belgian Congo) the title words pop up at all. She trusted that her readers would make the connection that, like a poisonwood tree, religion too can become dangerous when mishandled. This does not mean that I didn’t enjoy “Unsheltered,” for I very much did. And, will not think twice about recommending the book. As usual, Kingsolver gives her readers plenty to wonder about. In this novel, she does an amazing job of penning an engaging story about human existence combined with a well-researched tale on past and present American politics.
Sandra Waters customer5.0 out of 5 stars Written with Real Passion
I owe an apology to Barbara Kingsolver. I judged her book too soon. It was because it touched initially on today’s reality in Washington which I try to avoid. I wanted her fiction. I now understand the book fully and appreciate it. What a magnificent talent she has in developing characters, characters that one gets to know well and finds hard to leave behind. I wanted to read only about Mary Trent and not get involved with our present times, but the contrast between centuries was fascinating and done with real heart and passion. The author wanted to strongly voice what she and so many of us think wrong with our present society. She felt it was important to use her talent with words to speak strongly. Although a novel, it spoke of truths. I had thought I would give it a four rating, but the after taste is too strong, it moved me more than I had thought. It made me think and it leaves me thinking still. Read it with an open mind and do not do as I did and judge it to quickly.