The Lonely Polygamist: A Novel

Golden Richards is a husband to four wives and father to twenty-eight children navigating a severe midlife crisis. His construction business is failing, his family is fractured by internal conflict and rivalry, and he is overwhelmed by grief following the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son. These losses have left him questioning his own capacity for love. Brady Udall tells the story of a deeply faithful man who, burdened by grief and the pressures of work and family obligations, becomes involved in an affair that jeopardizes his family's future. The novel explores themes of need, love, and belonging through characters facing the complexities of family life. The narrative portrays an American family pushed to its limits, depicting its dysfunction, heartbreak, and comedy with careful observation and tragicomic effect.