The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Reviewed by Lynn Wyche
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver is an enthralling story covering 30 years and two countries. Kingsolver has a knack for making her characters seem so real you expect to meet them. In this novel she combines the life of a fictional character, Harrison Shepherd, with the lives of true historic figures such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Her descriptions of places in Mexico make you want to look it up on a map and fly there. Her descriptions of Rivera and Kahlo’s work makes you want to plan a trip to a museum to see their paintings. Even the food prepared in the story may make your mouth water. With all of these sensory delights there is also a story of personal loss and sacrifice and the danger of politics. A wonderful history lesson is woven into this story in a way that is truly engrossing. Harrison Shepherd eventually becomes a writer and the descriptions of his fictional works make me wish he were real and that those books were real. This is Kingsolver’s true talent and power, to make the reader want more.