The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

This is such a more-ish book. Set in the Congo at the end of the 50s and starring a zealous Baptist missionary couple and there several daughters, this is brilliant.

The daughters and their mother take turns to narrate the story - a style I really enjoy when it's used well, as here. But the voice we never hear - that of their increasingly maniacal father - is omnipresent, dictating, essentially, the trajectory of the entire story.


This is a fascinating look at belonging and community, and destiny, faith and hope. You will love and hate the characters, but you will find your fate entwined with theirs and you will rip through the pages to save yourself.