Book Review - The 19th Wife

It was interesting to read two novels dealing with polygamy so close together.  I read David Ebershoff's The 19th Wife first, and as much as I didn't like it, I had to admit that it was well written.  Weaving a modern day murder mystery in with the history of Eliza Ann Young, the nineteenth wife of Brigham Young,  was well done and interestingly paced.

However, after reading The Lonely Polygamist, I decided I could justify my dislike of this book because it handled the subject matter so much more honestly.

The news portrays real life polygamist leaders as the very scum of society.  Warren Jeffs, the real life religious leader, made headlines a few years ago by becoming a fugitive after trying to force a young teen to become his umpteenth wife.  The government swooped in and the whole thing quickly unraveled into a huge mess.  The answer of what to do with the children, the women, and others who had committed no crime, was never answered.  The government and news media were much more concerned with handing down the moral verdict that what these people do is bad, bad, bad.

Maybe it is.  It's not something I would ever want to do.  But Ebershoff didn't just tell a story, he tried to sell his side of things, and as a result, The 19th Wife felt caricatur-ish and biased.  His descriptions implied everyone who lived this lifestyle was selfish, violent, vain and a sexual misogynist.  I even felt like their teeth might be rotting in their very mouths.  Blech.

Likewise, when fictionalizing actual historical figures, he took quite a bit of liberty with their motives and desires.  Maybe all historical fiction authors do this, and maybe I should squirm more often than I do, but the way he portrayed Brigham Young and other early leaders of the LDS church felt vindictive.  To just make up letters and journal entries that seemingly support his version of history, and explain in the author's notes afterward that, while completely fabricated, they have the "flavor" of things he's read in his research doesn't sit well with me.  I realize that's the influence of my own bias, but how is that right?

For me, there are more important things than a well written book.  Sure, Ebershoff is a fine author and knows his way around adjectives, narration and settings, but in my opinion, he cared too much about being right and too little about being honest.