The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Polygamy, murder, scandal, religious and moral disputes, suspense, intrigue ~ what more can you ask for in a novel?  This one had it all and then some.

As someone who is New England born and bred and grounded in Italian roots, I am not familiar with the Mormon or Latter Day Saints (LDS) religions.  I'm sure if I dig far enough, I could find temples and churches in the area with people practicing these faiths; however, this is not something that is prevalent around here.  And as far as I know, neither is polygamy.  Polygamy, of course, is illegal here ~ so is drug use, homocide, theft, and the like.  But it doesn't mean that people refrain from these activities.  Such is the case in The 19th Wife. . .

Two parallel and connected stories comprise this novel ~ one set in the 19th Century, the other in the 21st.  Ebershoff takes us through the history and formation of the Mormon and LDS religions and beliefs by weaving Ann Eliza Young's biography (the purported 19th wife of Brigham Young) with that of modern-day fictional character Jordan Scott.  As Ann Eliza Young makes a daring and dangerous escape from the Mormon church and her marriage to Brigham Young in the late 1800s, she becomes a public activist against plural marriage.  She travels the country lecturing about the inequities and cruelties encompassing polygamy before mysteriously disappearing.  Intersecting her story, Jordan Scott is on a mission of his own ~ to find out why his mother, a 19th wife herself, is sitting in jail for the murder of his father.

The 19th Wife exudes an extremely distinct impression that Ebershoff is as dead-set against polygamy as his two protagonists.  The details he provides conjures such graphic pictures of the lifestyle of these women, their children, and their husbands.  The book alludes to this lifestyle as being wrought with injustice, brainwashing, and crime with its negative implications particularly imposed upon the wives and children.  Ann Eliza Young and Jordan Scott's experiences really put this practice into perspective and makes you think:  Just how practical is this belief?  and Can anyone really be happy this way?  Because this lifestyle and practice is so far removed from my own, I found it completely fascinating to explore its history through the eyes of a former plural wife and to see why women in particular would subject themselves to polygamy.

Thank you to Kerry McKibbins's recommendation for this book.  After reading her review of it on her Curly Girl blog, I had put it on my "To Read List."  I'm so glad I did because it was a real page turner!