Review: Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver

I really don't know how to describe this novel. It's definitely a little different than The Bean Trees in that it seems to focus more on political and social issues rather than just the characters, but I loved it all the same. I love books that make me really think, and because of the issues raised in the novel, I had to continually reevaluate my feelings about what was happening in the novel.

Basically, the novel picks up where The Bean Trees left off. Turtle remains with Taylor in Arizona, but as the two are on vacation, Turtle saves a man who had fallen into the Hoover Dam, landing the two on talk shows, including Oprah. The Oprah show catches the attention of a Cherokee lawyer Annawake who, because of her own emotional baggage, takes Turtle's adoption as a personal affront against the Cherokee tribe and attempts to invalidate the adoption based on Supreme Court rulings to bring Turtle back to the tribe. The novel traces the family wrangling and emotional issues surrounding how Taylor, Turtle, and Annawake deal with the issues raised.

I honestly was torn throughout the novel about how I wanted it to end. I absolutely loved Taylor's character in The Bean Trees and respected her decision to step up and care for Turtle when no one else would. And I thought that Annawake, at times, completely ignored the fact that the Cherokee "family" had its chance to care for Turtle and blew it. At the same time, the history of the U.S. government's relationship with the Cherokee nation (and other Native American tribes for that matter) has been terrible, and the tribe had a right to prevent their children from being taken away. I won't tell you how the book ended, but I thought it seemed to be a bit of a cop out, allowing Kingsolver to avoid taking a stand. Still, the characterization was great, and the story brought me to tears at times. Definitely not as good as The Bean Trees, but Pigs in Heaven is still a fantastic read, especially if you've already fallen in love with the characters in the first novel (which I totally suggest you read first).

My rating: 9.2/10

I couldn't seem to find any other reviews, but a lot of you have it on your TBR page; I highly suggest you read it :)
*Let me know if I missed your review and I'll add it*

Up next: I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb