"The Poisonwood Bible," a novel

by Barbara Kingsolver

A Baptist priest's family—father Nathan Price with his wife and four daughters—travels to Congo in Africa in the late 60's, on the priest's self-imposed mission to spread Christianity in a village in the then-Belgian colony. His quest is to change Africa, but Africa changes all of them instead. In his overly dominant, almost tyrannical way both at home and in church, father Price leads his family to destruction. When a tragedy strikes, the family falls apart, but by then Africa has a firm hold on all survivors and lives in them to the end.

Kingsolver's book is told in first person by all five female characters, alternating voices and picking up the tale from five different perspectives. It is at first confusing, but soon Kingsolver's masterful writing waves it all together and the reader lives through the hardships of the unprepared white family in the African village which accepts the newcomers but never assimilates them. The fate of the Price family is told in the context of the Congo's volatile history, from its independence from the Belgians to American interfering, which results in long-lasting dictatorship of Mobutu. The politics greatly affect the Prices, even as they are dispersed through two continents.

"The Poisonwood Bible," told in southern accent, reminds me of "To Kill a Mockingbird," and not only because of the accent, but also because of the way the story sucked me in, so I couldn't wait to return to the book.