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Book Review – The 19th Wife

David Ebershoff’s The 19th Wife intertwines historical fiction with a modern mystery, resulting in the compelling story of two individuals struggling to escape their past. Set in the 1800s, Ann Eliza Young grows up during the development of the church of the Latter-day Saints and becomes the 19th wife of the prophet and leader of the Mormon church.  The book recounts Young’s struggles as she grows up in a faith she doesn’t believe in and follows her crusade to end polygamy and pleural marriage in the United States.

In a parallel story that takes place in the present day, Jordan Scott must return to the isolated Utah community he was thrown out of as a teenager. He’s forced to return home when his mother, the 19th wife of a well-respected man in town, is arrested for murder.

While book is chalk- full of historical merit, Ebershoff succeeds in using a variety of different voices to keep it from reading like a history textbook. He includes diary entries, letters, Wikipedia articles and occasionally the perspective of other characters so that the reader is able to construct a complete picture of the lives of the two individuals.

Despite being confusing at parts (jumping between narratives can prove to be a challenge to follow), and there being little to connect the stories of Ann and Jordan, the novel flows surprisingly well.

Perhaps the most striking part of the book is Ebershoff’s depiction of polygamy – both past and present. His ability to reveal so much about the history of such a taboo subject is alone worth the read.

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