The 19th Wife

This novel weaves together two timelines to examine the history and modern reality of polygamy in the American West. The historical narrative follows Ann Eliza Young, the real-life nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, as she separates from the Mormon leader and campaigns against the practice of plural marriage in the late nineteenth century. Parallel to her story is the fictional account of Jordan Scott, a young man excommunicated from a fundamentalist sect in present-day Utah. Jordan returns to his former community to investigate a murder charge against his mother, seeking to understand the mechanics of the isolated society that cast him out.

Readers interested in the evolution of religious institutions and the tension between individual identity and communal doctrine will find this useful. The book provides a detailed look at the internal logistics of nineteenth-century Mormonism and the secretive structures of modern breakaway fundamentalist groups. Those who value historical research combined with a procedural mystery will walk away with a clearer understanding of how family hierarchies and legal challenges shaped the Mormon Church’s public and private identity over the last century and a half.