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Kingsolver's novel is very "ecological," in the old sense of the term, as one of balance. But much contemporary ecological work focuses on the multiple imbalances, the dynamics, of the natural world. And eolecki's note, below, regarding the centrality of women in the book makes me think how correspondingly peripheral the men are: Garnett can't function without one as "anchor," Cole gets killed off early, Eddie drops his seed and moves on. What kind of gender imbalance is being portrayed here? And why/to what end?