Polygamy infuriates and fascinates me. It drives me nuts yet I cannot pass by an opportunity to hear or read about it. I almost always regret it. This book was no exception.
The lonely polygamist is Golden Richards. He has four wives and 24 children. At the beginning of this novel, he finds himself embroiled in a chaste love affair with another man's wife. Normally I would never use the phrase 'he finds himself' when referring to adultery. That's the cop out excuse of almost every lying cheater.
"I didn't mean to."
"I don't know how this happened."
"I had no control over my feelings."
Blah, blah, blah. But I use that to describe this situation because Golden Richards doesn't seem to do anything intentionally. He is a pretty pathetic character yet, for some reason, I like him. I give tons of credit to the author for creating any sympathy at all in me for his character. Because, in case I haven't mentioned it eleventy times. I NO LIKE POLYGAMISTS! I watched one episode of that show 'Sister Wives' on TLC and almost went insane. Conversely, I always enjoyed 'Big Love' on HBO mostly because it highlighted all the obvious problems that polygamy creates.
Katie saw me reading this book and asked me what a polygamist was. I explained the concept to her in the most basic of terms appropriate for a nine year old. Her immediate reaction was "I would never share my husband with another woman!" See. Even a fourth grader can see how jacked up this lifestyle is...but I digress.
The book goes on to talk about how complicated Golden's life is (shocking, huh?) In the end there is tragedy, confession and, in a way, redemption. It's a thought provoking book. I would not say that Brady Udall is antagonistic or sympathetic toward the idea of polygamy. The novel is really about this particular man and while his lifestyle may be unique(thank God) his character faults aren't.
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