Homeland And Other Stories (2003) - Plot & Excerpts
Leave it to my mother. Every time I get to the point where I've almost relegated her to the lands of the unenlightened, she pops out of the woodwork and shows off a surprising amount of taste; for a Baptist minister who proudly voted for George W. Bush and thinks Carrot Top is funny, my mom occasionally knows what's up. Homeland was an Easter gift, buried between chocolate bunnies and "inspirational" literature meant to soothe what she sees as my wayward soul. Like a lot of her gifts, the aforementioned Mom Stigma kept me from tearing right into it; on the contrary, it was five months before a long road trip provided the impetus to finally see what Ms. Kingsolver had to tell me.The timing, I found, couldn't have been better. Like everyone in 11th grade AP English, I read The Bean Trees , took the quiz, wrote the essay and forgot about it, my only memories of the story being "Jesus Is Lord Used Tires" and a vague notion that I didn't hate it. Knowing that I would soon be trapped in car driving from Maine to western Kentucky, I grabbed a pile of books that I hoped would preserve my sanity- enter Homeland. By the time we'd left New England my literature stash was already half-depleted, so as the forests and fast pace of the northeast faded into the slow, rolling hills of the south I said a silent prayer that my mom didn't strike out, smoked a bit of marijuana and tackled the first story.Give either Kingsolver or the pot credit- I've never been able to keep interested in Native American stories (am I a bad person? Likely), but "Homeland" didn't bore me one bit. In fact, for the first time, I kind of understood the allure of the culture and the people that actually care about it (and as the author presumably falls into this category, one could chalk this up as the definition of successful literature). Beautifully written, the titular tale whispers a sad message on the disintegration Native American culture without the kind of overplayed pity that usually turns similar pieces into unwitting self-parodies; instead of a feathery, face-painted Indian shedding tears at someone's discarded soda can, Kingsolver presents a character old but vibrant, stoic but sad, and the reader is left not with obligatory guilt but a soft melancholy. It's kind of beautiful.All the stories in Homeland subscribe to a general theme of small towns and "simple" people. Rather than crafting elaborate or glamorous plot lines, Kingsolver lets her nearly-poetic words and characters carry the stories, and as our vehicle plunged into the warm drawl of the mid-south it felt like each narrative could be happening right next to me. Homeland could never be a Hollywood film. The relationships within eschew fiery breakups and dramatic, emotional reconciliations for slow, subtle declines that creak and bend like an old weathered bridge; moments of clear profundity sometimes strike the characters, but like real life these epiphanies rarely change anyone's life significantly. In Kingsolver's world, people live and love and hurt- but they still have to get up for work the next morning.Homeland is not a Catcher in the Rye type of book; no one is going to rethink their lives or carry it with them on a trip to murder John Lennon, but that, in essence, is the point. It's hard to relate to most popular books and films, with their fantastic tales and characters that always seem to end up ok regardless of what craziness ensues. While those kinds of things hold an integral place in the artistic world, it's refreshing to see the lives of "ordinary" people brought to life in an equally entertaining way, and one could argue that the simplicity of Kingsolver's stories makes them more impressive. I'll leave that to someone else. But by golly, if you find yourself on a long drive through the heart of America, pick up Homeland and let yourself get wrapped up inside it- even if it lets you down, it'll be subtle and you might not even notice.
Imagine picking up a novel and randomly picking 20 pages and reading them. That's what every story in this compilation was like. I did not have any context on the characters and consequently did not care about any of them. It seemed like there could be a tied between the stories with two characters that make and sell pottery and jewelry. Even those character lines were so poorly developed that I couldn't understand what the point of those two were. When each story ended, I had to flip back to ensure that was actually the end of the story. I love to read, but I struggled to get through the stories. Normally, I read interviews at the end to better understand the thought process or research of the author. In this case, I was just so glad to have gotten through the stories, that I didn't bother reading or caring about what the author was thinking. I've never read any of Baraba Kingsolver's, but I don't see why I would. I've only given up on one book on my whole life and contemplated making this my second, but I seriously contemplated making this my second. It was selected for a new book club I joined, so I forged through.
What do You think about Homeland And Other Stories (2003)?
Once again, Barbara Kingsolver does not disappoint. While I prefer her novels over short stories, this collection of stories was special. Her writing is lovely, as usual, and over the course of these twelve stories, she touches on topics that any human could related to. I chose to read this book during a time when I was working hard in a storage unit, sorting through 50 years-worth of my mother's and father's possessions. It was physically- and emotionally-draining work, and I wanted to come home and curl up with a book that wouldn't tax me further. I knew I'd be "safe" with Barbara Kingsolver. Her writing has a lightness in it, an underlying current of sensitivity and joy and hope, even when her writing is about heavy issues. I particularly enjoyed three stories: Homeland, Bereaved Apartments, and Rose-Johnny.
—Ayla
So excited to see how this goes... is Barbara Kingsolver even capable of short stories? Wonderful characters, not surprisingly. Is it weird to say that my biggest complaint was that I would get to love the characters then on to the next story? Sorry, Barbara, but you do that to me. Every story was so unique, I really enjoyed each. The main characters were pretty much always women (no surprise there). But I still feel weird reading short Kingsolver stories. There was this one very small character I found in three of the stores, if only lightly mentioned, so I have no idea what that could be about...
—Sarah
Again, another leap of faith I took on a Barbara Kingsolver piece. Not usually a short story reader but I had to try. Not my favorite of hers but just as satisfying as her other works. What I found most amazing about this collection of short stories was how raw and loud her political and social voice came through in these stories. More so than her novels. This would make sense since one has less time in which to lull the reader into a sense of what you the writer are trying to say so the message comes quickly and suddenly. For that reason, it was a great read. It is one I would go back to again. Highly recommend it.
—Jillian
