The Lonely Polygamist

The Lonely Polygamist (2010) by Brady Udall. Golden Richards, 45, has four wives and 26 children -- but he is tempted to commit adultery with Huila, a woman he is not married to. In this comic novel, Golden is a clumsy, ambling bear of a man without a mean bone in his body. His wives tell him what to do and his children mostly ignore what he tells them to do. This book takes an off-kilter look at what it might be like to be a polygamist, and the picture's not always pretty. But it is almost always funny, except for a few cases of children who have been lost to disease or accident. "The Lonely Polygamist" has my highest recommendation. Grade: A