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Lark and Termite

Lark and Termite

Historical FictionLiterary Fiction
Pages
272
Published
2009
Language
English

Synopsis

Set in the 1950s across West Virginia and Korea, this novel explores the profound impact of loss, love, and war on a family. It centers on Lark and her radiant, non-verbal brother Termite, their mother Lola, and their aunt Nonie, who raises them. The story also follows Termite's father, Corporal Robert Leavitt, as he navigates the Korean War, revealing family secrets and the unseen bonds that connect them through a devastating flood.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

EmotionalMelancholicThought-Provoking
Family SagaDual TimelineMultiple POVs

Genres

Historical Fiction Literary Fiction

About the author

J
Jayne Anne Phillips

Jayne Anne Phillips (born July 19, 1952, in Buckhannon, West Virginia) is an American novelist and short story writer. She earned an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop and won early acclaim with her story collection Black Tickets (1979). Her later novels include Machine Dreams, Shelter, MotherKind, Lark and Termite (a National Book Award finalist), and Night Watch (2023), which won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Phillips founded and directed the MFA program in creative writi...

Characters

LarkProtagonist
TermiteProtagonist
LolaSupporting
NonieSupporting
Corporal Robert LeavittSupporting
All characters in Lark and Termite