The Lonely Polygamist

Hmmm, I like the idea of Meryl Streep as an image of Beverly. So, let's go with that. Then -- Golden works for this crazy boss, Ted Leo. Among other challenges, Golden finds that economic times are so tough that he's forced to work on a project that he has to keep it a secret from his own family. He's actually building a brothel in Nevada for Ted Leo. Golden thinks no one knows what he's doing over in Nevada, but -- like everything in this book -- it's more complicated than that. So, describe this larger-than-life boss Ted Leo.

He's someone who wants to be a big shot and acts tougher than he really is. He's mercurial. At one point in the book, Golden says that nobody can tell what Ted Leo is going to do at any given moment. I'd say Dennis Hopper would be perfect to play Ted Leo, if Dennis hadn't passed away.

I can see that! A little crazy, a little funny, a little lovable, too. Too bad Hopper just died. So, two more: Let's talk about Trish, Golden's really appealing younger wife. She's both attractive and she's an appealing character because she's so sympathetic. She's a good-hearted person who just wants to make her life a little better, but she can't seem to get anywhere with Beverly in charge of the whole family.

Trish desperately wants to have a child to assuage her grief over a series of miscarriages. At the core of her character, she's grieving. But who could play her?

I was envisioning someone like Amy Adams?

Yeah. Yeah, that would be just right -- someone pretty and vivacious and smart.

Finally, tell us about June Haymaker, this character who stumbles across the family and is a kind of half-loco expert in making fireworks. His store of raw materials winds up playing a key role in the novel.

He's someone who was damaged by his own particular childhood in a polygamist community. He's a sweet, generous person, but he can't find anyone to offer himself to. At his core, he's lonelier than anyone else in the book. I'd think of someone like a Steve Zahn to play June Haymaker.

Readers will find a big cast of characters in this nearly 600-page novel and those are just a few of them. I hope that someday your novel does become a movie and the producers sign a few of these actors.

But, I'll bet readers still are asking themselves: What's so funny about polygamists? So, let's talk about the chewing gum incident that occurs late in the first half of the novel. I think it says a lot about the problems these characters face.

Right. Yes it does. That plot point I think is very important.

I think it illustrates something that you've said about your research into polygamy. You've said that polygamy fascinates Americans for one reason: Sex. That's one of the main points you made in the opening of your Esquire story. When we think of multiple marriages, we can envision all of this sex with different partners all the time.

But the fact is: These people don't enjoy sex at all. They've got so many strict rules that they're almost entirely ignorant about sexual relationships. The chewing gum incident is a sign of Trish's absolute desperation and it couldn't happen, for example, without both Trish and Golden insisting on turning out all the lights before even disrobing.

Right. What happens with the gum in a series of scenes in the novel is a good example of the dark, complicated things that really go on in these people's lives. They're really naïve about sex. For all the focus on having children, they know very little about sex and it's not pleasant for them. So, I could have written about this in a depressing way, because for many people that is the real experience, but in this novel I wanted to shine light on it with something that's fun to read. I turned it into this silly, farcical thing that drives the action.

And keeps driving the action through several scenes in the book. I won't spoil it, but basically Trish is so desperate that she sneaks a copy of Cosmopolitan magazine into the home and reads this tip about chewing gum during sex. Then, things go strangely awry.

Yes, it illustrates something quite sad about people living in these relationships. But it's also humorous if we think about it for a moment, and that's what makes the book fun to read.

Laughter about these dilemmas sheds a lot of healthy light on the ways we can mess up our lives in the pursuit of faith. But, as we close this interview, I want to return to the first thing I asked you: You do like these people, right? I've reported on the Mormon community enough to know that the actual LDS church is a very appealing way of life, overall. Again, I'll stress that the official LDS church condemns polygamy, in case any readers still are confused about that point. I have to say: Overall, the Mormon tradition offers a strong and supportive community to newcomers.

In a world that is becoming increasingly fragmented, Mormonism offers a way of belonging to other people in a way that's more complete than in other religions. You are called upon and expected to give your whole life to this -- if you will give your life. People like the church's strong emphasis on family, which is a strong appeal to many, many people. It's easy to see why the church continues to grow.