Barbara Kingsolver is an outstanding writer and FlightBehavior is another outstanding example of her work. Her characters are complex
and their relationships fascinating. Her descriptions are vivid and
interesting. Her stories have depth and are loaded with metaphors.
Her protagonist Dellarobia Turnbow is bright, petite, and
strong-willed. She is married to Burley, Jr, "Cub" , a physically
large, dull, hard working, loving
father, who is the son of Burley, Sr., "Bear" who is also large and
is a stereotypical redneck patriarch (Think of Burl Ives in "Cat on a Hot
Tin Roof" before he became terminally ill). Cub's mother is also
strong-willed, smokes heavily, and permits Bear to believe that he is in
charge, as he sometimes is, but not so much as he thinks.
The story takes place in rural Appalachia where the local
church is important to the characters and the story. One of Dellarobia's
friends, "lives her whole life as a string of Bible quotes." The local Walmart and second hand stores are
also featured. The nearby village,
Feathertown, is "mostly (a) dead main street," where The Fellowship
Mission has its pick of empty store fronts from which to operate its charities.
Don't expect blood and gore or a whodunit, just a
fascinating collection of characters in a well-told story written beautifully .
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