Featured Book: The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman

Sara Trucksess

Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites (2015) is a historical fiction based on the early life and family of impressionist master Camille Pissarro. Set on the lush Caribbean island of St. Thomas where Pissarro was raised in the early 1800s, this novel is a masterwork in its description of color, heavenly scenery and native island culture. While focused primarily on the stories and relationships that bring life to the dynamic Pissarro family, this novel is also a fascinating chronicle of the religious and cultural discriminations frequently allowed in early 19th century colonialism.

As a Jewish family escaping persecution in Europe, the Pomie-Petit-Pissarro family faced exile from one country after the next, only to find refuge on St. Thomas just as the Danish King was declaring freedom for all future-born African slaves. Author Hoffman begins this family saga amidst the unbridled childhood adventures and passions of Camille Pissarro’s mother, Rachel, using beautiful writing to draw…