Poisons and Bibles
Genesis - Bible
Originally uploaded by S.A.L.I'm currently reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible with verybadhorse . We read one section, stop and comment before moving on. I just finished "Genesis" and I'm now halfway through the second-part, "The Revelation". Some thoughts under the tag on...
The story takes place in the Congo in the 1960s. A family of American missionaries - dad, mom and four daughters - arrive to live with the heathens and spread the word of God. The structure of the novel plays on their religiosity by having each section chronologically follow the Bible. The language from the first page is rich and evocative like a tropical jungle - the Garden of Eden they've chosen to live in. The chapters are divided between the voices of the five women - one of the many ironies in the book since the Bible only has the voices of men. I like this set up because it makes it all the more obvious how impossible it is to understand the world they enter as well as the father of their family - their opinions and views on the world around them always diverge on one thing or another. Their own Tower of Babel.
I like the parrot Methusalah and his dirty talk (he learnt it from the previous missionary.) He's like the locals in their aping of the sermons and prayers without understanding what they are saying. The impossibility of getting the message of Jesus into their heart unless language (and more?) can be cracked. But then you see how Jesus' message is even missing from the family's core centre (the father) and how it's all a giant disaster in the making.
Some tragedy is hinted at by the mother - the foreshadowing is there in the way they don't seem to have a handle on reality and can't let go of their American reality. It's obvious things are going to turn shit for them very soon... but in what way? It's the suspense at the heart of the story, which I think works well. I want to find out how this family and the arrogance carried into the Congo by the father will result in disaster. The smug religious grin wiped off the face.
My question for you verybadhorse at this stage is which of the four daughters do you like the most, and which the least? :-)