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home_again's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Two gripping plots intertwine in this novel, one set in modern times and the other set in the 1800's during the height of Brigham Young's reign in Utah. Both address the troubling topic of polygamy and the shocking horrors that so frequently accompany its practice.
Jordan is a young gay man who has built a life for himself after being kicked out of a fundamentalist Mormon community when he was 14. Jordan's mom, BeckyLyn, dropped him off on the side of the road at 2 am after he was seen holding his step-sister's hand. Now his mom is accused of murdering his dad and he feels compelled to visit her, never doubting that she had every reason to kill his dad. BeckyLyn was her husband's 19th wife.
Ann Eliza was born into a polygamous family that had faithfully followed the Mormon prophet Brigham Young across the plains to establish communities in the Rocky Mountains. The community fervently adheres to strict values but often finds its members engaged in shocking improprieties, not the least of which is the ongoing practice of polygamy. Ann Eliza is a true historical figure, known because she eventually married Brigham Young and then divorced him, an unthinkable act at that time in the Utah territory.
The plot remained interesting, getting tense near the end as Jordan looks into the circumstances leading up to his father's death and Ann Eliza faces the consequences of raising her powerful husband's ire. At times, the narrative ran a little dry as (actual or invented?) the historical documents were interwoven into the story, though for the most part the story moved along nicely.
It's a bit hard to tell which of the historical facts are real or invented as part of the story. The narrative paints a dark picture of early Utah, an image that was not unknown by contemporaries of the time. How much was exaggerated is a topic of debate, though there is ample evidence of many unsavory acts committed in those days.
You are unlikely to come away from reading this book feeling charitable toward polygamous communities. Sadly, there are polygamous communities which escaped members report are as riddled with the horrifying practices described in the book. The book, however, represents the extreme end of polygamist living and many polygamist communities live in much more peaceful circumstances.
I greatly enjoyed the book and think it deserves a solid 4 stars. The author clearly did his homework and created a believable narrative that includes many historical facts.
Jordan is a young gay man who has built a life for himself after being kicked out of a fundamentalist Mormon community when he was 14. Jordan's mom, BeckyLyn, dropped him off on the side of the road at 2 am after he was seen holding his step-sister's hand. Now his mom is accused of murdering his dad and he feels compelled to visit her, never doubting that she had every reason to kill his dad. BeckyLyn was her husband's 19th wife.
Ann Eliza was born into a polygamous family that had faithfully followed the Mormon prophet Brigham Young across the plains to establish communities in the Rocky Mountains. The community fervently adheres to strict values but often finds its members engaged in shocking improprieties, not the least of which is the ongoing practice of polygamy. Ann Eliza is a true historical figure, known because she eventually married Brigham Young and then divorced him, an unthinkable act at that time in the Utah territory.
The plot remained interesting, getting tense near the end as Jordan looks into the circumstances leading up to his father's death and Ann Eliza faces the consequences of raising her powerful husband's ire. At times, the narrative ran a little dry as (actual or invented?) the historical documents were interwoven into the story, though for the most part the story moved along nicely.
It's a bit hard to tell which of the historical facts are real or invented as part of the story. The narrative paints a dark picture of early Utah, an image that was not unknown by contemporaries of the time. How much was exaggerated is a topic of debate, though there is ample evidence of many unsavory acts committed in those days.
You are unlikely to come away from reading this book feeling charitable toward polygamous communities. Sadly, there are polygamous communities which escaped members report are as riddled with the horrifying practices described in the book. The book, however, represents the extreme end of polygamist living and many polygamist communities live in much more peaceful circumstances.
I greatly enjoyed the book and think it deserves a solid 4 stars. The author clearly did his homework and created a believable narrative that includes many historical facts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Child abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Blood, Homophobia, and Sexual violence
ecthompson's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Abandonment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Infidelity
artemishi's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A rich, historical fiction interspersed with a modern-day murder mystery, both centering around the Mormon (and then Firsts) practice of polygamy- it was as dense and detailed as you'd expect such an undertaking must be. I was honestly disappointed to get to the author's notes and learn that although the details of Ann Eliza's and Brigham Young's lives (and those surrounding them) were researched and factual, the inserted essays, letters, and other 'historical findings' are fiction. This is mainly because the consistent pausing of the third-person narrative to insert (what is positioned to look like) an extant letter or deposition seemed like a choice to bolster the circumstances and supposition of that person's character. After all, historians (and history) only get a sense of who someone was by what they leave behind. So to discover it was all fiction made me wonder why the author chose to position himself as more of a historian and less of a writer, with this style, in the first place.
Narrative structure aside, this book was engaging enough to cause more than a couple of 1am "just one more chapter" moments- less so because the characters are compelling (though I did love Jordan) and more because there's a lot to unpack about the Church of Latter-Day Saints, their original beliefs, their exodus to SLC, and how a Saint embodies their religion. I thought it was very respectfully portrayed in the book- I have Mormon friends I would recommend this book to- but I am a skeptic of that religion. In truth, I'm a skeptic of all religions, but it was nice to learn something new about the historic settlement/emigration (I never before grasped the scale of that) and how Young was able to maintain (with population consent) control of all avenues of power in the growing cities of Utah. I was also introduced, very briefly, to Victoria Woodhull- who I'll be looking to learn more about soon.
The modern murder mystery is not as engaging as you might think- it's very much a plot device, because the majority of the book focuses on Ann Eliza's life. However, I know the Firsts cult are not a fiction- my aunt was a librarian in AZ and when she drove the bookmobile she made a point to go to their local compound and try to get the women to read. From her pitiful stories, I have zero doubts that Ebershoff's portrayal is less than factual in its generalities. So, CW for those that need it: non-graphic mention of child neglect, child abandonment, sexual abuse, and misogyny.
The ending was satisfactory- I hadn't figured out who had committed the murder until the very end (where the author wants the reader to know) but then, I didn't care too much. Jordan's relationship with his mother was, to my thinking, far too broken for me to give one iota of a care that she be cleared and thus able to break his heart again. I mostly wanted Jordan to learn to trust and let himself be loved again- everything else was incidental for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault
orlagal's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Grief, Incest, Infidelity, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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