Book guide
The Poisonwood Bible
A missionary family enters the Congo with certainty—and watches their beliefs unravel.
GenresHistoricalLiterary
Genre and trope pairingsHistoricalFamily sagaLiteraryDysfunctional familyLiteraryFamily sagaLiterarySocial commentary
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About The Poisonwood Bible
Nathan Price brings his wife and four daughters from Georgia to the Belgian Congo in 1959, convinced of his mission. Through the women’s voices, the novel follows the family’s undoing and transformation against the backdrop of Congo’s fight for independence.
Reading signals
- Spice
- Light
- Darkness
- Dark
- Pacing
- Slow
Content warnings
- racism
- misogyny
- domestic violence
- war themes
- animal death
- child death
- colonialism
- grief
- illness
- poverty
- religious bigotry
- child abuse
- adult/minor relationship
