The 19th Wife

David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife chronicles the lives of Ann Eliza Young and BeckyLyn Scott, two women living on a polygamist compound 100 years apart.

Living in 1875, Ann Eliza, the 19th wife of the prophet and leader of the Mormon church, is not a woman to be trifled with. Ebershoff follows Ann Eliza Young through her dramatic story as wife #19, her break from the church, and her crusade for polygamy legislation that changed history. Her story parallels modern-day #19, BeckyLyn, and the murder case that puts her behind bars. To gather information for his mom's defense, BeckyLyn's son Jordan is forced to come to terms with his childhood growing up in the polygamist compound.

The result is an engaging mystery, combining past and present, fact and fiction. Although I was easily drawn into the narratives of two women from a community radically different from my own, its frankness made me a little uncomfortable. The 19th Wife is not a light read but, like a good tall tale from America's West, it's one that will stay with you long after the last page.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (Random House paperback, May 2009)