The 19th Wife: A Novel
by David Ebershoff
by David Ebershoff
Synopsis
It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of her family’s polygamous history is revealed, including how both she and her mother became plural wives. Yet soon after Ann Eliza’s story begins, a second exquisite narrative unfolds–a tale of murder involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father’s death. And as Ann Eliza’s narrative intertwines with that of Jordan’s search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love, family, and faith.
Review
I randomly picked this book up at the library not knowing what to expect and I was really, really sucked in by the mormon polygamous story line. Shows like "Sister Wives" etc. have brought a lot of these practices to light in the media lately and for some reason they (and this book) are like a train wreck you can't stop watching/reading. The book was a fascinating look at the history of mormonism and it's various branches/sects. The two story lines - past and present - played well off one another to make this book a definite page turner. This would be a very interesting book club selection as well. I think a hearty discussion could ensue.
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