In Praise of - The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

For a while now I have been thinking on The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver - the story is hard to describe in a nutshell - but it tells the story of Harrison Shepherd from a boy to a man and his time in Mexico and his struggles through finding his own voice as a writer against the politics of the 20th Century. Along the way, his supporting cast are the indomitable Frida Kahlo and Lev Trostky - and unlike the usual appearance of historical figures in fiction that feel like vomited up research, Kingsolver makes them seem wonderfully fresh and useful in the novel, more fictional and therefore, somehow, more alive.

The Lacuna is a long book - but such a lovely, breathing, takes its time in a good way book. Mexico came through the writing like a spicy perfume.

Read more about it here from the Independent, or read the book instead.