Book Review: The Lonely Polygamist

Book: The Lonely Polygamist
Author: Brady Udall
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Book club rating: 4 out of 5 stars (for those who finished it) 


Brief synopsis:

Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart. Brady Udall, one of our finest American fiction writers, tells a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall creates characters that engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love, and belonging.
Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, The Lonely Polygamist is an unforgettable story of an American family—with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy—pushed to its outer limits.


My Review:
We read "The Lonely Polygamist" as our July book club read. The book had mix reviewed, but fell into too distinct camps. Camp One: Loved the book. It was amazing. It was great. Camp Two: I just couldn't get into this book. It just didn't do it for me. 


I was in the first camp. I absolutely loved this book. First of all, it was incredibly well written-- writing of this quality can be hard to come by. As a writer, I appreciate having the chance to read a book of someone who really knows how to do it right. So, that pulled me in writing away. The characters were beautifully developed. The scenes were elaborate. I could picture the time, the place, the people. 


As I read this book, I thought of what I learned from author Kate Ledger, who taught the class "How to Write a Novel," which I took this spring at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. I couldn't help but think as I read this book that it was a brilliant example of how to write an incredible and gripping story. Udall used all the of the tactics Ledger taught us. He's someone to learn from as a writer. 


However, I can see how this is a story that can be hard for people to get into. It doesn't move quickly. And, there is an overall sense of melancholy in the lives of everyone in this book. But, this melancholy is mixed with many humorous events along the way (i.e. an incident with gum in pubic hair, a nasty bout with some fleas). 


For some, there were really no likeable characters. Others, had some they liked along the way. I really liked Rusty (the only child that the reader gets a perspective from in the novel.) One member of our book club mentioned that she really liked Beverly, the oldest and first wife, which I found interesting as you only get a perspective of Beverly second hand. (Although, there are some events in Beverly's story line that come up late in the novel that I also loved and really made me like her, too.) 

The one warning I will give is a lot of bad things happen to pretty much all the characters in this book. There are times when you'll likely have to set it down and just take a break from it. That's just the type of book it is. (I read a Jen Lancaster memoir alongside it... much lighter and that helped keep me going!) 


So, who is this a book for? Well, it's hard for me to say. If you only like fast paced books, this isn't a book for you. If you are interested in American religions, Mormonism specifically, then you'll enjoy this book. If you really appreciate strong writing, this is likely a book for you. 


Is it worth picking up? I say absolutely. But, if you just can't get into it, well, you may be in the camp of some of my other book clubbers, and, sigh, while I think it's great, that's OK, too.