The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

In the year since I renounced my Mormon faith, and set out to tell the nation the truth about American polygamy, many people have wondered why I ever agreed to become a plural wife. (First Sentence)  And the fictional narrative begins for Ann Eliza Young, the real-life 19th “rebel” wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young.  Ann Eliza became an outcast of the Mormon church, but the world was eager to hear sordid, shocking, juicy details of the polygamist’s way of life.  Her story is told beautifully, in her own voice, throughout this novel.  Intertwined with Ann Eliza’s tale is a modern-day murder mystery involving Jordan Scott, a young man who was kicked out at age 14 from the “Firsts,” a fundamentalist Mormon cult (Jordan claims they like to get rid of teen boys so that their men don’t have any competition for the teen girls).  Jordan learns his mother has been arrested for murdering his nasty, polygamous father, and believing she is innocent, he sets out to discover the real murderer.  As he snoops around investigating this dangerous cult, his commentary is informative and tantalizing.  Author David Ebershoff intersperses other fascinating means of telling his story – Master’s thesis papers/correspondence, newspaper articles, archivists’ memos, advertisements, playbills, letters, instant messages, and Wikipedia entry.  I found this book highly entertaining and difficult to put down. I was able to confirm some of my opinions or clear some of my misperceptions about the Mormon church and their sects.

Jennifer L. – York                             ISBN 9781400063970