Join us here to talk to David Ebershoff, author of The 19th Wife. He'll be on LibraryThing to discuss his work and answer questions through August 22nd.

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2008, 1:07pm.

David, I adored The 19th Wife. What made you want to write about polygamy?

David,

The research required for The 19th Wife seems like it would be epic in scale. Did you run into some of the same roadblocks with respect to document access as your characters did? Were church leaders helpful with your research? Was it difficult to balance objective research with some of the necessarily more subjective directions of the story?

I really enjoyed the novel, and I see you will be at Powell's in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 10th--I will try to drop by!

Thanks,
Lyza Gardner

Hi David - I really enjoyed reading The 19th Wife. It's one of my favourite books of 2008.

I'm a non-Mormon in a heavily LDS-populated city, so I'm wondering: Have you received any feedback from the Mormon community yet? What do you anticipate the reaction will be?

David, I enjoyed The 19th Wife and it led me to read Banner Under Heaven by Jon Krakauer which I also found immensely rewarding.

I know you'll get a lot of 19th Wife questions so I'll ask one of a different nature. Are you checking the sales rank on Amazon for your book? ;) I hear that's a favorite past-time for some authors. Others claim they never peek. Well, now you can check your LT numbers too.

The 19th Wife was incredible! I want you to know that my neighbors have all borrowed this book from me, and everyone has made very positive comments on it. It's still making the rounds!

I'm also interested in hearing what people in the LDS community have to say about your book. Very timely subject, by the way!

David, what perfect timing for your book to come out, with the LDS Texas incidence that occurred months back. What in the world gave you the idea for the book, and did you have any "rumblings" of anything going on in Texas to give you this idea?

Oh! Great book, by the way! Totally enjoyed it!

ken

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2008, 5:11pm.

I am looking forward to getting this one, I have heard only the most wonderful things!!!! Fascinating subject, too.

Thank you for writing such a fascinating book!! I have no questions, but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the book!!

Hi David,

Please let me join the chorus of accolades. I know that The 19th Wife will be one of the best books I read this year. My rave LT review is one of the ones on the front of your Amazon.com page.

I had several questions that I might have posed to you, but other clever folks have asked them all. Oh, wait! Here's one no one has asked yet. Do you know what your next project will be?

Thanks!

Susan

Message edited by its author, Aug 19, 2008, 12:42pm.

Hi Mr. Ebershoff,

My biggest question for you, I suppose, is how do you feel about Kelly Dee? It was hard for me to get a handle on what you thought of her—or maybe I just felt like you were being too sympathetic. Her seminar paper seemed rather unscholarly—"our beloved Prophets," "To me, this younger Brigham looks a lot like Russell Crowe," general first-person references throughout. And the assumption that in writing a paper for a women's studies course at BYU should be about what "we" can do to create a fairer perception of the LDS Church. I don't know, maybe that's what BYU is like, but it seems a little soft. I was curious about this because I found most of the book quite well-researched.

In general I just felt like she was much too nice. Upbeat, perky, super friendly, and even while condemning polygamy today (and actively helping people get away from it), not very harsh at all when it comes to the Prophets or the Church. One of the problems I had with this was it made her feel like the stereotypical TV/movie Mormon. Anyway, I'd be interested to hear what her creator thought of her!

Thanks

Hi David - two of your books are at the very top of books I want to read. Gender identity and LDS topics are fairly diverse, so I'm wondering how you decided on each. I'd also like to know about your background and your writing discipline. Thank you, in advance of my having read your books, for bringing so much enjoyment to so many readers.

Hi Devourer--

I didn't set out to write about polygamy exactly, instead I got pulled into two worlds: the world of Ann Eliza, her family, the early LDS Church, and Brigham; and the world of present-day polygamists. After researching Ann Eliza's story and then interviewing some people from plural marriages today, I realized that if I was going to tell this story it had to be about both the past and the present. I became overwhelmed by the voices I was hearing in my research: Ann Eliza's voice, Brigham's, the voices of other 19th-century polygamists who left testaments about their experiences; and the voices of the women and young men I interviewed who had been living in polygamous households in 21st-century America. I spent about a year researching before I could even envision the novel or its structure, which is something of a symphony of characters and voices and points of view. But then I saw how to weave together these stories into a novel.

Thank you very much for reading the book, and your encouraging words. They mean a lot to me.

My best,

David

Hi Lyza--

It's true, the book required a lot of research, but I have to admit that when I started working on the book I had no idea how much I would need to learn. If I had known, I probably would have been scared off the subject and never written the novel. In fact, there were a few times along the way when I thought to myself, I will never master all of this and there are so many people who have spent their lives studying this subject, how will I ever catch up with them. Then at some point, as I got more and more comfortable with the background material -- early Church history, LDS theology, Brigham's life -- I stepped back and reminded myself that I was writing a novel. My job is to create credible characters who are indiosynchratic and unique, and who may or may not know everything about LDS history and polygamy in the United States. Most important, the reader needs to believe these characters are alive, even if their understanding of certain subjects is limited. For example, Jordan knows very little about the history of polygamy. And he's not especially interested. And Ann Eliza, well, she knows quite a bit from her personal experiences, but those very experiences also limit her understanding. Once I began looking at the background material through the eyes of my characters I felt more comfortable about all of the research and more certain of what I needed to know.

On the subject of access, I found many archives and institutions open to general research. The LDS Church has done a fantastic job preserving its history, and in many ways that history is open to public. For example, take a trip to Nauvoo and you'll be inundated with rich material about early LDS history that is free and open to the public. I spent several days there, visiting every historic site, and researching in the Family History Center, where I found a brief autobiography by Ann Eliza's father, Chauncey Webb. This short document inspired the autobiography that I wrote in the THE 19TH WIFE. (I should add, there is also a lot of information available on the internet, which of course is not news.)

Just as important, I met many people who helped me do my work -- pointing me to information, sharing information, introducting me to other people who might help. It's true, there are LDS archives that are closed to non-members. What exactly is in those archives I cannot tell you. But I felt I had enough information to write the story in the way I wanted -- that is, with the multiple narrators and points of view.

Recently at a reading in California, a woman asked me about Kelly Dee (the graduate student from BYU who plays a role in bringing all these "documents" together) and her ability to gain access to closed LDS archives. This woman doubted whether a young scholar like Kelly would be able to persuade the Church to open up its archives as she does in the book. In my experience, I met a number of individuals who were open about their church's history, who wanted it to be known, and who graciously helped me. I decided to give Kelly access to the fictional documents as a way of reflecting this openness I encountered. I wanted to complicate the picture, so to speak.

I hope you can make it to Powell's on the 10th. If you do, please come up and say hello. I'd love to properly meet you.

All my best, and thanks for your question.

David

Hi Peripa--

The reaction from the Latter-day Saints who have reached out to me has been warm, gracious, and often very touching. At a reading in Menlo Park last week a woman came up to me and shook my hand and said, "I'm an LDS and I want to thank you for writing this book and writing about the stories I'm interested in." Then she stepped aside and waited until I had finished meeting everyone else and had signed all the books and when the night was over she was still there and we had a wonderful 20-minute conversation about her experience in the Church and many other things. I was very moved by her support and willingness to share with me. At other readings people have raised their hands to share with the audience that they had polygamous ancestors whom they were proud of. I appreciate so many people's willingness to give the book a chance.

So far I have received only one hate email, but it was so incoherent I'm not sure who he was or why he hated the book so much. I am sure there are some people who will have little interest in the book and won't read it, but that's simply a part of every writer's life.

On the other side, at a reading in Milwaukee two weeks ago I had a pro-polygamist (and most certainly non-Mormon) protestor, who condemned me and everyone there for not believing in freedom. Yet his comments added to the evening's discussion and I was glad he came to the bookstore and shared his views.

In the end, THE 19TH WIFE holds many points of view -- Ann Eliza's, her mother's, her father's, her son's, Brigham's, and, in the contemporary story, Jordan's and even that of his mother, whose faith in plural marriage never wavers. These different voices and points of view allow the book to hold something of a dialogue with itself, while letting the reader, I hope, form his or her own conclusions.

Thanks for your question. Where do you live? And many thanks for reading the book.

Cheers!

David

Hi VisibleGhost (I love your screen name):

I have to fess up: right before the book came out and in the first week of publication I checked my Amazon rank way too many times. But that's because it was going up! When it got into the 30's, and then slipped back to the 40's, I said to myself, That's as high as it's going to go, and you know what, that's high enough So I stopped looking and I haven't looked since. I just found out the book has debuted at #7 on the Independent Bestseller list, which is the list compiled by independent bookstores around the country. I am especially happy to know the book is doing well in all those great stores, many of whom have been friends and supporters since my first book, THE DANISH GIRL.

But if my book is now 1,787,347 on Amazon, please don't tell me. I don't need to see that!

Thanks!

David

Hi bcquinnsmom--

I hope the neighborhood is enjoying the book. Give a shout out up and down the street for me. And thank you -- I'm really glad to know you enjoyed the book.

I just wrote in my message to Lyza about the reaction from the LDS community, so if you scroll up a bit you'll see it there. But can I tell you something about timing? It both surprises me, and doesn't. I first heard about Ann Eliza Young seven years ago. I made my first trip to Hildale/Colorado City more than four years ago. I was deep in the book long before Warren Jeffs was arrested, convicted, and before the compound opened in Eldorado, Texas. That said, even four years ago the story was rising up. Jon Krakauer, of course, documented that community masterfully in UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN. And the local media in Utah and Arizona, as you might know, have been covering this story for many years with admirable commitment. So once I got into the story, and started talking to people, I came to see, as many others had, that this story was deeply entrenched, complicated, and would not resolve itself soon. But I also understood this from researching Ann Eliza's story -- because I quickly heard the echoes between her tale and those of plural wives today. When I interviewed some women who had been in plural marriages, I was stunned and intrigued by how similar there stories were to Ann Eliza's. Of course the details were different, but the emotions -- the loneliness, the confusion, the self-loathing, the passivity, and, finally, the anger -- were very familiar.

Thanks for your questions!

David

Hi Kenkwa--

It all started seven years ago when I was talking to a scholar of 19th century women's history. She and I were having a wide-ranging conversation about many things and for some reason she mentioned the 19th Wife. The who? She told me a little about Ann Eliza and my ears stood up. Who was this 19th Wife? And more important -- what would it be like to be a 19th wife? Those questions stayed with me for a few years until I started my research. And once I began looking into that first question, I felt compelled to answer the second. That's how I ended up in Hildale/Colorado City one day, nosing around for an interview. I didn't get one on that first trip, but it led to someone and then someone else...

I'm glad you liked the book. On top of all the history in the novel, and its ideas about faith and family, I wanted to entertain a reader. I wanted to write a book that propells the reader through it. I even wanted to write a book that has a few laughs in it -- because I saw first hand that even in the grimmest of circumstances people manage to laugh. If the book delivered any of this to you, then perhaps it succeeds on some level.

My best,

David

Hi mckait--

Thanks very much. I hope it meets your expectations. Let me know--

David

Hi Charlotte G--

Thank you, I really appreciate that. I have to say, my favorite part of being an author is this -- interacting with readers. So thanks for making the time to read it (I know it's long), and for coming out to say hello.

--David

Hi Suetu (is your name Sue?)--

Thanks for your good wishes. There have been/will be so many wonderful books this year that I'm thrilled to hear you're including THE 19TH WIFE in your pile of favorites.

It's still a little too early for me to say what the next book is, but I can give you one hint: writing THE 19TH WIFE I found myself having a lot of fun playing with genre. Jordan's story is, of course, in many ways a traditional murder mystery: someone is killed, someone is accused, and an unlikely hero sets out to discover the truth. It follows the rules of the genre fairly closely. And I really loved thinking about genre writing in the context of another kind of writing, in this case, historical fiction.

My new novel will be very different in subject, and very different in structure (only two narrators, I promise!), but it will play with another kind of genre writing. I can't say what yet -- but feel free to shoot me a message later for an update. My goal is to write the book in 2 years. Wish me luck!

Thanks for your question,

David

Hi Nperrin--

Once a year I teach a graduate literature seminar at Columbia University. My students tend to be 22-25 years old, although occasionally they are a few years older. When I work with them, I find it quite common for many of them to approach their work sincerely and with a seriousness of purpose, while also maintaining a casual approach to me and the classroom. This is common, I believe, of this generation of students (my age is showing, right?). And so Kelly's voice, and her easy switch between scholarly rigor to personal observation, from historical reference to pop culture, are all derived from my teaching experience over the last few years.

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Kelly. I know a young woman who is not unlike her: a serious scholar, eager to know the truth, she is also devout, respectful, and never cynical. She can love her church, while also investigating its history with an admirable openness.

Kelly's view of LDS history is in part inspired by my own view of a historical figure like Thomas Jefferson. It's nearly impossible not to revere Jefferson for the ideals he laid out, his role in establishing the nation, and his vision for America's future. Yet, of course, Jefferson's legacy is complicated because of slavery. Yet that does not mean we cannot admire and respect his many significant achievements. I, as a reader of history, want to know Jefferson in complete, the good and the bad, and come to my own conclusions about him, which might also include forgiving him. I suppose I have infused Kelly with this outlook: she wants to know and understand Joseph and Brigham in their full complexity. She does so without undermining her own faith because she is adept at handling ambiguity and contradiction. Because of her faith, I believe, she can study and analyze without feeling morally superior to her subjects.

This is how I view her, at least. Thanks for your question --obviously you've read the book closely, and that's always appreciated.

With many good wishes,

David

Looking forward to hearing you speak at 3rd Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA on September 9th!

22: Since you have taught at such seminars, I defer to your expertise! I'm not any older than your students, but I didn't go to university in the US or study humanities so maybe things are different than I expected.

Thanks for the thoughtful response—I could tell you had a "soft spot" for her! I didn't dislike her myself and I agree that she was thoughtful and sincere, but darn, she was just so nice!

24: Hi Nperrin again--

Two thoughts on Kelly's niceness.

1) In fact, while I was writing this book I met many, many people who were simply nice. Friendly, helpful, sincere, open, unobtrusive, respectful: nice. And I wanted that experience to appear in the book somewhere, and it made the most sense for Kelly to embody it. Now if the book were filled with only nice people, then it would be too much. But I hope having her in the mix of other characters, from the past and present, expands the book's vision of how people can be.

2) You know what they say: It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. That's Roger Federer's favorite saying -- and one of mine. It's just plain true.

Where did you study? Are you a scientist?

All best--

David

23:

Hi KaskaskiaVic--

I'm looking forward to seeing you there on September 9th. I have to admit that I'm always afraid no one will show up to a reading. So knowing that you will be there, steadies my nerves. And if it's just you and me we'll, sit down and have a good chat, right?

Many thanks--

David

12:

Hi Pdebolt--

First, my apologies for the slow reply. But thanks for your questions. At first glance, gender identity and LDS history might seem unrelated. But I wrote both THE DANISH GIRL and THE 19TH WIFE with one thing in mind: it's all about the characters. We read for people. No one reads a novel to read about gender identity. We read novels to read about complicated, credible characters whose lives make us think. And so with that in mind, I wrote both books (all my books in fact) trying to create (or recreate, in the case of both Ann Eliza Young and Lili Elbe, who are both historical figures) characters the reader can believe in and care about -- even if you disagree with them. Ann Eliza and Lili share some traits: both had to break away from the worlds they were born into and give up everything, and almost everyone, they knew and loved in order to pursue their destinies. Both were brave, defiant, outspoken, irrepressible, intelligent, beautiful, a tad vain, slightly manipulative, somewhat unreliable, and a little bit naive. I don't want to over emphasize the similarities -- I can't imagine their paths ever crossing in a time-travel story (but wouldn't that be fun?). But perhaps you can see why I was drawn to each of them. In fiction, we respond to complicated characters. And, my goodness, Ann Eliza and Lili are nothing if not complex.

A programming note: the film version of THE DANISH GIRL is making progress. Production could begin as soon as March 2009. When I know more, I'll post it on my site www.19thwife.com

My background is one of lots of good fortune and love. I grew up in Pasadena, California, and my parents still live in the same house I was raised in. I was there last week giving a reading at our wonderful local bookstore, Vroman's, and I stayed in my old room, as I always do when I go home. I went to a very good school in Pasadena called Polytechnic, which is across the street from Cal Tech. I was there from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and that education pretty much defined me. They taught us how to think, and encouraged creativity. It wasn't all happiness: my childhood had its rough patches (I was a sullen teenager who, for some reason I can't explain today, refused to put on long pants), but now that I have some perspective I know how blessed I've been. One of my nephews is starting at Poly next week, which makes me happy.

After high school, I went to Brown, where I studied English literature, creative writing, and Japanese history. After a few years, I started working at Random House, an experience which has also transformed me. From 1998-2005, I was the publishing director of the Modern Library, which is our classics imprint. I couldn't believe it: my job was to read all the great books from the Greeks to the early 20th century! How such good fortune came to me I still marvel about, but those seven years were like getting a salary to go to graduate school. I read and read and read many great books I had never read before. An example, THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins -- it's arguably the first great detective novel. Multiple narrators tell the story, and reveal the mystery. If you've read it, and THE 19TH WIFE, you can see its influence on me.

My writing discipline is pretty straightforward: when I'm writing (which, alas, isn't always), I spend a few hours writing in the morning, and then I spend the rest of the day doing everything else. I had lunch with a friend of mine yesterday, Bob Hughes, who wrote a beautiful novel called LATE AND SOON. He told me that he gets up every day and goes to the coffee shop near his office and writes from 7:30 until 9:45 and then heads into the office for a full day. That is discipline, and it's led to wonderful productivity and creativity. I have such admiration for writers like him who create the time in their day. Joyce Carol Oates, who is one of my favorite writers, and who is a once-a-century genius, said to me not long ago, You have to make the time, you just have to, you just have to grab the impulse and do it now. She's a model for all of us!

Thanks for your questions. I hope you enjoy the books.

Cheers!

David

David, are you having any readings or signings in the Chicagoland area anytime soon? I didn't see any on LibraryThing Local, but I was hoping that it was just because nobody had entered it yet...

25: No indeed, I was a linguistics major at McGill University (Montreal). Nowadays I am a copy editor.

And do let us know if you'll be in the Chicago area!

28 & 29:

Devourerer and Nperrin:

Oh no! I was in Chicago on August 6. I came, read at the impressive Michigan Avenue Borders, and met a lot of wonderful people, and then headed for a day in Milwaukee. It was a fast trip, but I did get to stop in to visit two wonderful bookstores north of Chicago: Lake Forest Books and the Bookstall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka. If you get to those suburbs, you might know these terrific stores.

I'm sorry to have missed both of you.

Thanks!

David

PS -- Nperrin: I heart copyeditors!

Dang! Too bad this thread wasn't a couple of weeks earlier...

Oh well, let us know if you ever come through again!

31:

I will. My sister lives in Chicago so I get there often enough. A great city with a lot of wonderful book people.

Stay in touch--

David

David, upthread you mentioned growing up in Pasadena. Did the Huntington Library in San Marino make any impressions on your early self? I love that place. I'll plant a brain-worm in your psyche. Historical fiction, Henry Huntington, railroad tycoons, books, San Marino, wealth, mystery, battles at auction for rare treasures, and founding of a great library would make a hell of a novel.

Nah, write what's coming to you. Wishing you good luck on your next writing project whatever it may be.

33:

Hi VisibleGhost--

Oh yes, the Huntington and all that Pasadena history left a huge impression on me. In fact, it inspired my second novel, PASADENA. I researched parts of it at the Huntington Library. When I was a kid I used to go to the gardens there and imagine what they must've been like when they were private. Who walked through them? Who worked in them? What secrets do they hold? It's a very evocative setting -- like a clear window into California's past.

Cheers--

David

I live in Medicine Hat, Alberta. There is a temple not far from here, in Cardston.

I'm glad you have had positive reactions from the LDS community. I asked that particular question because my dearest friend is Mormon, and I lent The 19th Wife to her. She felt it was too critical of Brigham Young and protrayed him negatively, so I was curious to see if her opinion was common.

Thanks for answering!

Message edited by its author, Aug 22, 2008, 4:17pm.

Hi David,

I'm sorry to say I couldn't get my hands on a copy of your book until after you had already spoke at Kepler's in Menlo Park. It is a fantastic read, and I love how easily you managed to weave in the past and the present. What I really enjoy about the book is the uniqueness of your writing style. The way you parallel two narratives almost 100 years apart, and fill in the details with so many points of view. Polygamy and the LDS seems to be such a controversial topic, I think having chapters from all points of view helps prevent any bias towards the religion.

It feels like every question I had, you already answered in an above post. I can't wait until your next book!

36:

Hi TheNovelWorld (great screen name!):

Thanks for your comments. That's exactly what I was going for: with the different narrators and points of view I was trying to explore the subject in a complex manner. Some might say I have achieved that, others might not. I leave that opinion to each individual reader.

Sorry to miss you in Menlo Park. What a fantastic store. You're so lucky to live near ti.

Cheers,

David

35:

Hi Peripa--

At the back of the book, in my author's note, I say that I anticipate Brigham's admirers might feel I'm too hard on him, while his detractors might feel I let him off the hook. Ask two people about Brigham, and your bound to get two different assessments. That's why I let Brigham narrate part of the story himself -- so that he can speak for himself and express his views. Ultimately, it's up to each reader to decide, and thus I certainly respect your friend's opinion.

Thanks for your question and comments.

My best,

David