Dine to Read

I read this while on holiday last week and really enjoyed it. The book has a very unusual style and almost feels like three books in one.

The main story revolves around Jordan, a young man who returns to his hometown when his mother, the 19th wife of a polygamist, is accused of murdering her husband. She maintains she's innocent but, in such a secretive society, it's up to Jordon to find out the truth.

From my description above and the blurb on the back of the book, you may think it's a mystery novel but most of it is in the form of the book within the book; starting in the 1800s, it explores the beginnings of the Morman/Firsts/Church of the Latter Day Saints, Joseph Smith (I challenge any South Park fans to read this book and not have *that* song so through their heads) and the start of polygamy. From here, it branches into a fictional biography of a real-life polygamist wife and campaigner again multiple marriages.

Apart from these two aspects, the book also contains additional history on the church in the form of fictional testimonies from diaries, library archives, research papers etc.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It took a little while to get used to the structure and the change in styles from one chapter to the next but I found the subject matter to be very interesting and it was a page-turner.

7/10

I'd recommend this too. It is a great story...well stories. You will find yourself googling the characters & Latter Day Saints to find out more :)

I loved this book. At times found it a bit difficult to be reading of historical characters in a fictional setting. Didn't know very much about the Latter Day Saints or Mormons or Firsts at the beginning of the book, and perhaps feel that I still don't know very much because of it being a work of fiction. But am glad to have at least learned of historical figures within these religions. For me, whatever way the notion of plural marriage is discussed, whatever part of the world you live, and whatever cultural beliefs are, it can never be right that children are forced into this lifestyle, marrying their uncle, or whoever, and having to be a partner in physical sense. I mean that in every context of life, not just in relation to this book. There are huge discussions around this concept, and I realise this and understand that there are massive complexities, but that is just my take on it in a nutshell. Didn't read the discussion forum on this site until I had finished the book as I didn't want to spoil the read. Was amused when I saw that YCT mentioned googling - it was the first thing I did on the books completion! Thought this book was superbly written.