The Lacuna

Dive into the most moving and beautiful novel of the year, from the bestselling author of The Poisonwood Bible.

The Lacuna is the heartbreaking story of a man torn beween the warm heart of Mexico and the cold embrace of 1950s McCarthyite America.
Born in the U.S. and reared in Mexico, Harrison Shepherd is a liability to his social-climbing flapper mother, Salome. Making himself useful in the household of the famed Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and exiled Bolshevik leader Lev Trotsky, he is an inadvertent witness to their revolutionary talk.

Years later, Shepherd has become an international star - a novelist. His fame brings the unwanted attentions of the American authorities and Shepherd's attempts at anonymity are futile as he is drawn into a conflict of historic proportions.

A gripping story of identity, loyalty and the devastating power of accusations to destroy innocent people. The Lacuna is as deep and rich as the New World.

About the Author

Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955 and grew up in eastern Kentucky. Her books include poetry, non-fiction and award-winning fiction, and in 1999 she was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for The Poisonwood Bible. She lives with her husband and daughter in southern Arizona and in the mountains of southern Appalachia.