Historical fiction book · Curated
The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver · historical fiction
An evangelical family arrives in the Congo on the eve of independence—told through the daughters’ voices.
Why read it: Multi-voice family epic set against decolonization—rich and argumentative.
About this historical novel
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is historical fiction set around 1959–1990s in the Cold War / Late 20th century period with key settings including Congo, Belgium Congo. An evangelical family arrives in the Congo on the eve of independence—told through the daughters’ voices.
On HisFic we tag it under 7. Family saga and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include colonialism, family, faith, and politics. Multi-voice family epic set against decolonization—rich and argumentative.
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Plot summary
An evangelical family arrives in the Congo on the eve of independence—told through the daughters’ voices. Multi-voice family epic set against decolonization—rich and argumentative.
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Africa
Congo · Belgium Congo
Themes
- colonialism
- family
- faith
- politics
Tags
literary · family-saga