Harrison Shepherd is a man of two lands - although born in the United States near the turn of the century, his formative years are spent in Mexico with his flighty mother as he essentially raises himself. The Mexico of Shepherd's youth is vibrant and hungry and his tenacity leads him from job to job until, one day, he ends up in a job that will change his life and introduce him to a cast of characters whose own infamy will impact his own, for better or worse.
This is a long one - dense and long and deliberate - but it was so rewarding for me. The life of our main character weaves through time and his desperate love of the written word spoke to me so deeply. I loved plunging myself into Communist Mexico in the 1930s, I learned and was entertained and some historical pieces I'd known slipped into context. I loved looking at the value of art - its ability to, on the one hand, create such community while also having the power to divide and politicize its creator. Kingsolver is a master of language, that is just truth. While it wasn't a crazy page turner, I knew from the first chapter that I would follow Shepherd to the end and I'm glad I did.
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