The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver is a constantly changing narrative about a young man named Harrison (Will). After an unconventional childhood with his mom in Mexico, Harrison is sent back to his father. His mom's various love affairs becoming more complicated than intended, Harrison is presented with a utilitarian perspective on romance. His father, desiring nothing to do with the boy, sends him to a military boarding school. While there Harrison discovers he's gay. The next segment of his life remains a mystery because Harrison, later on, ordered those journals burned.
Returning to Mexico after being expelled, Harrison works for Diego Rivera and his wife, Frida. He loves the Rivera household and remains there for years, even becoming Frida's lover. Despite the complications, he remains on friendly terms with the whole compound. After Rivera's assassination, Harrison returns once more to the U.S. to write. Marked as a Communist because of his time with the Rivera's, he is called before the Un-American Activities Committee where is tried as a Communist, despite asserting that he does not support Communism. His books all fail and Harrison dies in Mexico, as an outcast.
In additional to the nuanced drama of the book, Kingsolver adds an intriguing structural element in the character of Violet. She is Harrison's archivist/secretary. She helps him organize his journals into a book, works with publishers, and even helps Harrison escape to Mexico after his trial. Through editorial notes, she inserts herself into the narrative before her character is even introduced, explaining how the journals from Harrison's school days were lost by his command. She remains a loyal assistant, posthumously composing this book in order to teach the public the true story of Harrison's life. By adding this fictitious editorial revision, Kingsolver compels readers to engage with the text as a living document, reflexively. She encourages the reader to criticize Harrison more than they identify with him, refusing to allow passivity as a response to the text.
