Minutes September Book: The 19th Wife by David Eberschoff

The 19th Wife

by David Ebershoff

(chosen by KE)







Editors note: I did not attend this bookclub meeting, so have constructed the minutes based on notes kindly made by Gypsy. Thank you, Gypsy.

 The book was chosen on recommendation by another nurse working with KE and the group made comment that KE has a great propensity to (unconsciously) select books by young gay authors.

About the author:

David Ebershoff is the author of four books of fiction, including The Danish Girl, The Rose City, and Pasadena. His most recent novel is the international bestseller, The 19th Wife. He has won a number of awards, including the Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Lambda Literary Award, the Ferro-Grumley Award for excellence in gay and lesbian literature. His books have been translated into eighteen languages to critical acclaim. Two of his novels are being adapted for film and television. Ebershoff has taught creative writing at New York University and Princeton and currently teaches in the graduate writing program at Columbia University. He is an editor-at-large at Random House and lives in New York City.

(general biographical detail from the author's website)


What the publisher says about the book:

Jordan returns from California to Utah to visit his mother in jail. As a teenager he was expelled from his family and religious community, a secretive Mormon offshoot sect. Now his father has been found shot dead in front of his computer, and one of his many wives - Jordan's mother - is accused of the crime.


Over a century earlier, Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Prophet and Leader of the Mormon Church, tells the sensational story of how her own parents were drawn into plural marriage, and how she herself battled for her freedom and escaped her powerful husband, to lead a crusade to end polygamy in the United States.

Bold, shocking and gripping, The 19th Wife expertly weaves together these two narratives: a pageturning literary mystery and an enthralling epic of love and faith.

What we discussed about the book:

• Is it ambitious to structure a novel telling two parallel polygamous stories: one set in the nineteenth century and the other contemporary? How successful is this structure?
• In what ways were creative and interesting techniques used to reproduce old newspaper articles and writings?
• How many wives did Brigham Young have in reality? (the total number is unknown but possibly upwards of 65)
• Did women exercise their permission to veto the choice of a new wife? Did they, in practice, really have that option? 
• Why did new followers come from Europe? What role did propoganda play in convincing newcomers that they were the chosen ones?
• Did we engage equally with the 19th century story and the contemporary one? Were we less convinced of the credibility of the contemporary parallel? Why?
• In what ways was the 19th century story enlightening and informative?
• Was it 'convenient' that God had spoken to Brigham Young (as opposed to the women) and mentioned that he (God) thought it was a fine idea that men could and should take many wives?
• Why would the women accept plural marriages? Is the promise of heaven and eternal salvation sufficient enticement?
• What can an inspiration speaker encourage people to do?

And then we were sidetracked into:

• The role of religion in today's society.
• Is the gender imbalance created by plural marriages the reason young male Mormons were  required to go forth and spread the word to others?
• Interesting facts about the Mormons: there are 13 million Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints worldwide, but only 14% live in Utah where the book is essentially set.
• Are the Latter Day Saints nowadays interested in progressive thoughts and inclusion of minorities?
   

Ratings:
Range:  6 to 8.5



Next book: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson (chosen by Fairlie)