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The Poisonwood
Bible The Poisonwood Bible isn't exactly Sunday School friendly. It's an exploration of the kind of faith it takes to withstand the heart of darkness. The novel is the story of a Baptist missionary family from Georgia and their venture into the Congo of the early 1960s. The story is told from the point of view of the four daughters, and occasionally the mother--which gives an interesting and varied perspective (and also takes longer to get into). The father is reminiscent of Jonathan Edwards, only with a serious need for Prozac. The story takes place over a 40 year period, focusing intently on the family's first year and then stretching out as time passes and political and familial strife comes and goes. Kingsolver weaves a captivating story and the varying points of view enlighten a misunderstood land. The novel questions a lot, including faith, the missionary approach of bringing western living to the jungles of Africa, and the political philosophy of supporting a puppet democracy. Land management and our ability to control nature are also questioned, although in a more peripheral way. The Poisonwood Bible is not an easy book for a person of faith. One of the main characters is a white Baptist preacher who mistakenly says, "Jesus is poisonwood," because he hasn't taken the time to learn the native language. It is a challenge, and one that should not be shied away from. This is not a book of salvation, like the Left Behind series, where calamity strikes and converts rise from the ashes. If anything this is a book of inverse conversion. You may not like it. And if so, I ask why not? Are you afraid of difficult questions? Are you scared to read about those who are disillusioned with God? It's these kinds of books that Christians should really be reading. |
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