The Bob Edwards Show, Barbara Kingsolver and Bill Roorbach, November 13, 2012

In the opening chapter of Barbara Kingsolver's new novel, Flight Behavior, the central character, Dellarobia Turnbow, climbs to the top of a mountain and has a vision that puts the rest of the book in motion. Set in present-day Appalachia, the book tackles many modern political dilemmas: climate change, strip mining, religious fervency and rural poverty. This is Kingsolver's fourteenth book in a pantheon that includes best-sellers, The Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Then, Bill Roorbach's latest mystery novel, Life Among Giants, is filled with contemporary cynicism, opulence, and what one critic calls a "Gatsbyesque portrayal of celebrity." Roorbach has published in Harper's, the Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, and he's the author of eight books. Bob and Roorbach discuss the book and his career. [Broadcast Date: November 13, 2012]