BYU Studies Quarterly
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