Unsheltered Summary
Barbara Kingsolver

Unsheltered Overview

Unsheltered is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. The story follows two families separated by centuries as the families struggle to redefine themselves and dream of the future despite the material collapse of their lives all around them. After Hurricane Sandy, Willa Knox and her husband, Iano, struggle to hold down steady jobs and give direction to their wayward children. In addition, the narrative weaves back into the past to focus on Thatcher Greenwood and his quest to teach evolutionary science in the late nineteenth century against the wishes of his conservative town. Kingsolver expounds upon her imaginative abilities to intertwine the family stories, showing the depths of family bonds that bind together unique people through all experiences. The novel explores themes of nostalgia, hope, abandonment, and emotional dependency.