Well, yes and no. The first chapter was terrific - I felt pulled in and connected immediately. I understood both the loneliness and chaos that defines Golden's life. Golden is the main character - the titular Lonely Polygamist. He is the patriarch of his family, the somewhat happy husband of 4 wives and father of numerous children. Right away in the first chapter the reader is introduced to the chaos and disorder of a big family - made even more chaotic by expansion of that family. I was intrigued and interested. I wanted to read more.
But then, I don't know, somehow it just dropped off. I don't know if that's because I was leaving it to read late at night when I was tired, but somehow I just didn't feel as driven to read the book. Sure, I was still enjoying the characters and was interested in reading more about Golden, but I wasn't compelled to pick up the book. Perhaps that had something to do with the structure: the author jumps from Golden's current perspective, to that of his wife Trish, to his son Rusty, to Golden's past, and to a mysterious omniscient narrator in italics that talks about the house in general. I liked all the different voices, but it did make the book a little difficult to come back to if I'd been away from it for a little while. Also, I just kind of wanted to hear about Golden's story. I am interested in Trish, but I would rather that she had her own story. Rusty I wasn't really interested in as much as the adults.
So, sadly, I returned The Lonely Polygamist to the library when it was due, without having finished it. I think it is a book I will eventually enjoy, but I think it just fell through the cracks at the moment. I think I'll give it a try this summer when I have a few days and nothing else much going on.
In happier book news, I picked up Game of Thrones at the library today. Now I will get to see what all the women-unfriendly hype is all about!
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