The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez

THE GREAT DIVIDE by Cristina Henriquez is a LibraryReads selection for March and was chosen as a Today Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick. This title is historical fiction – centered around the building of the Panama Canal between 1904 and 1914 – but like her earlier work (The Book of Unknown Americans) tells the story through the actions and thoughts of multiple characters. My personal favorite was Ana, a young girl from Barbados who stowed away to travel to Panama to find work and support her ailing sister. There, she meets a young man, Omar, who works on the canal. Other characters include the Oswalds from Tennessee – he is fighting for the eradication of malaria and she is a botanist who is not allowed to establish a career. In fact, women are often thwarted and by necessity dependent on men in this text which, while historically realistic, added some frustration for this reader. In general, I thought Henriquez’ novel had a strong start and I was curious about the characters, but the limited choices and spiteful actions (Omar and his father do not speak to each other; there is a cruel overseer at the canal works) made reading the story increasingly more of a slog – perhaps that was meant to echo the drudgery of creating the canal? Although I found it difficult to stay engaged and finish the story, THE GREAT DIVIDE received starred reviews from Booklist (“dramatizing with tenderness, insight, and striking detail how ‘the great divide’ not only split the land but also communities, families, culture, and a sense of wholeness.”) and Publishers Weekly (“delves deeply into themes of colonialism and labor exploitation”). The beautiful cover is eye-catching – have a read and decide for yourself.