The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff

A fascinating novel that mixes fact and fiction about the origins of polygamy in the Mormon Church. With a collection of narratives spanning more than 160 years, Ebershoff contrasts the life of a modern-day gay young man kicked out of a polygamous Mormon sect as a teen with that of the real-life Ann Eliza Young, a woman who became the 19th wife of Mormon Prophet Brigham Young in 1868.

The novel constantly plays with real accounts and fiction, combining fictitious articles, a Wikipedia entry, letters and memoirs of Ann Eliza with snippets of Brigham's actual speeches. With accounts coming from a range of characters and real-life historical figures, the reader is given a choice of narratives, leaving you wonder who, if anyone, you should trust.

At the centre of the novel is the issue of faith and why people believe what they believe. It spans the historical account of how polygamy was first introduced to a fictional interpretation of what life is like in a modern day polygamous sect. By playing with these separate time frames, Ebershoff exposes the physical and emotional consequences polygamy has on wives, children and, perhaps surprisingly, men. From the power-hungry men who devise rotas to see their wives to the women who are shouldered out for the newer, younger and prettier wives, The 19th Wife shows just how damaging polygamy can be while also explaining why so many women found themselves agreeing to the institution.

An intricate read, Ebershoff doesn't quite shifts time frames and narratives as expertly as A.S. Byatt in Possession. But as the novel reaches its intriguing end, the narratives slot together expertly like a jigsaw. Informative, thought-provoking and well-crafted, The 19th Wife is a novel that tells you all you need to know about polygamy and the controversy surrounding it.

My next read: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

My Little Bookshelf begins

I decided to start this blog on a rainy Wednesday after raving about another fantastic book to my colleagues. After finishing my English Literature degree nearly three years ago, it seems a lifetime since I just sat down to write about my thoughts, feelings and responses to the books I read. As books are one of my main loves in life, I wanted to find a way of discussing and writing about them like I used to as a student. So from now on I will blog about my thoughts on each book I read and hopefully generate some debate. Here goes...