Fourth Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Pigs in Heaven, by Barbara Kingsolver. HarperCollins Publishers, 1993.
Genre: Nonfiction

This was a very interesting book to read. It was somewhat confusing at certain points, but always resolved and left me satisfied with the result. The book tells the story of Taylor Greer, a woman who, a few years back, was handed a child at a bar by a woman of the Cherokee Nation. Since then, she has raised her as her own, turning into a wonderful mother. Her daughter’s name is Turtle. When Taylor and Turtle are vacationing in the Grand Canyon, the visit the Hoover Dam, where they are the only ones to witness a man falling over the edge. They call for help, and thanks to them, a rescue team saves his life. They become famous, and are asked to appear on Oprah. When they do, a woman named Annawake Fourkiller recognizes Turtle as a Cherokee Nation child. Taylor tells Oprah about how she came to have custody of Turtle, and Annawake is furious, because according to a law enacted in 1978, Cherokee children cannot be adopted with the consent of the entire Cherokee Nation. Annawake confronts the two, saying that Turtle can no longer be with Taylor. She leaves for a short while, and when she returns, Taylor and Turtle have fled. The entire stories tells of their adventures, of love and understanding, of commitment and regret, as they flee from this woman who, we come to find out, is not the antagonist, but merely a woman who herself is fighting against antagonizing circumstances. Taylor and Turtle travel across many states, joined by Alice, Taylor’s mother, who is sick of her neglectful husband and is seeking a new life. Eventually, they go home and take the case to court so that Taylor can gain full custody of her adopted daughter. I won’t give away the ending, but it was very good, and it involves Turtle’s biological grandfather, who lost his beloved granddaughter years ago.

“Possessed by an extravagantly gifted narrative voice, Kingsolver blends a fierce and abiding moral vision with benevolent, concise humor. Her medicine is meant for the head, the heart, and the soul.”
—New York Times Book Review

What I liked about this book that I’ve never read in another book was that fact that it was told in the present tense. I don’t know why, but for some reason that intrigued me. I felt as if the story was happening as I was reading it, which was a really cool effect that enhanced the featured of the book and made me want to keep reading. I think more authors should write in this tense.

“Even on the nights when he turns over and holds her, Harland has no words for Alice—nothing to contradict all the years she lay alone, feeling the cold seep through her like cave air, turning her breasts to limestone from the inside out. This marriage has failed to warm her.” (1).

There is a lot of trouble in my life surrounded by adoptions and not knowing who your real parents are. It can often hurt and create confusion and uncertainty in your life, which is why I was so interested in reading this book. It told all about a girl who tried her whole life to avoid getting pregnant, and then in an instant is handed a child that is not hers and is forced to care for it, which she did whole-heartedly. I can’t exactly relate to this situation in particular, but of the general concept I am well aware.