The Lacuna Summary
Barbara Kingsolver

The Lacuna Overview

The Lacuna tells the story of fictional protagonist Harrison Shepherd, who was born in the United States but raised in Mexico during the first half of the twentieth century. As a young man in Mexico, Harry was employed by real historical figures including the artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo and the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky. Later in his life, upon returning to the United States, Harry forged a career as a novelist but his past involvement with Communists in Mexico came back to haunt him when anti-Communist politicians sought to brand him as a traitor to the United States. The main themes of the novel are dual identities, journalistic misrepresentation, and the ordinary lives of influential people.