BYU ScholarsArchive

Article Title

The Lonely Polygamist

Authors

Brady Udall
Angela Hallstrom

Keywords

Mormon studies, book review, polygamy, novel

Abstract

Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist, published in 2010, arrived amid a wave of pop-culture interest in the polygamist lifestyle: HBO's Big Love was gearing up for its finale; TLC's reality show Sister Wives had just hit the airwaves; and real-life stories of Warren Jeffs, child brides, and FLDS compounds were common tabloid fare. Although Udall had been at work on his novel for many years before polygamy became a hot cultural topic, some skeptical readers--Mormon and non-Mormon alike--wondered if the novel's intentions were more sensational than literary. Once reviews began rolling in, however, it became clear that The Lonely Polygamist was more than a fictional expose of "alternative lifestyles" and was instead a serious work of art.

Recommended Citation

Udall, Brady and Hallstrom, Angela (2012) "The Lonely Polygamist," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 51: Iss. 2, Article 17.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol51/iss2/17