Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Betrayal by Diane Noble

The Betrayal, by Diane Noble.  The wives of Gabe are not the subservient women usually portrayed in novels about polygamy, which in 2012 makes the novel more believable.  Will the betrayal come from angered church leaders, Gabe, one of the wives, or another community member?  They are all suspect.  These wives never thought they would have to share a husband until it slowly evolved in a way they could almost accept.  As with other novels concerning the topic of polygamy, the young men are in competition with older leaders of the church who get 20, 30 and more wives, usually the young gals the young men are attracted to.  So, what happens to the over abundance of unattached young men?  One wife is keeping detailed diaries of all the unsavory events in the community, thus posing a threat to them all.  One is out-spoken about issues that upset her, so she is a threat.  The third wants first wife status and goes all over the territory taking care of livestock, not a comely wife’s usual behavior.  Into this picture returns one of the wives original husband, long thought to have died in a sea tragedy. Then a young boy’s body is found buried in their garden with a threatening Bible reference to them all.  Good read.  8 out of 10.  Recommended.