The 19th wife

The 19th wife, by David Ebershoff
 
David Ebershoff has written an absorbing two-track story that combines historical fiction with a fiction tale, each of which keeps the reader's attention throughout the book. His subject in both stories is the polygamy practiced in a sect of the Mormon religion. Ebershoff begins with a modern-day fiction story about Jordan Scott, a young man who has rejected his Mormon faith, but is drawn back into that world when his mother, one of many wives to his polygamous father, is accused of murdering his father. Scott adamantly believes that his mother is innocent and tries to help her attorney show she did not commit murder. Interwoven with Scott's story is the recounting of the real-life Ann Eliza Young struggles to publicize the evils she experienced as the supposed "19th wife" of the Nineteenth Century Mormon leader Brigham Young. Young gained national fame as she divorced Young and traveled across America, including a stop in Washington when she testified before Congress, telling packed lecture halls about the polygamy practiced by some Mormons. Drawing on historical sources, Ebershoff's depiction of Young's involvement with the Mormon religion is terrifically interesting. Equally, Jordan Scott's story is often witty and makes for great reading. The 19th Wife is a thoroughly engaging story!
-Roy