Saving the World
Author: Julia Alvarez
Amazon info
Saving the world through writing, or perhaps saving one's self through writing, appears to be the theme of this dual novel. The protagonist (Isabel), a writer, unable to write, loses herself in the story of a governess in charge of orphan boys who are saving the world from smallpox (by carrying the cowpox infection across the Atlantic and Pacific). The stories are nicely intertwined and the book was a pleasure to read - evocative and memorable in a number of places. It's been several weeks since I read it and I still recall much of the plot (including a character named Richard). But what more can I say about fiction? (Which is why I provide the amazon link).
Recommended: To all who read fiction and enjoy a self-referential works (as I do).