‘Unsheltered’ blends fact and fiction

“Unsheltered” (Harper), by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver does something amazing in her new novel. She takes a historical figure - a naturalist who corresponded with Charles Darwin in the late 19th century - and imagines her life in Vineland, New Jersey, then creates fictional characters around her and concocts an entirely new family living in the same house in the modern day. The novel alternates eras from chapter to chapter and Kingsolver has a little writerly fun ending each chapter with the word(s) that name the next one.

That’s not all the two stories have in common, of course. Uncovering and appreciating the connections is the best reason to read the book, but here’s a teaser: Mary Treat is the naturalist whom Kingsolver brings to life. We first see her from afar, lying face down in her yard peering at something in the grass. Later, inside her home, she meets her neighbour and fellow Darwinist, Thatcher Greenwood, surrounded by tarantulas in glass jars as a Venus flytrap “eats” her finger.

The 19th-century plot plays out with Thatcher, assisted behind the scenes by Mary, squaring off versus Vineland’s pre-eminent Creationists, the town founder and the school principal where Thatcher teaches.

With “Unsheltered,” Kingsolver has created art that does exactly that. It is a novel well worth your time.