Kindred Spirits

by Christopher Kimball Bigelow

Born and bred in the heart of Mormon Utah, thirty-something Eliza Spainhower has carved out an independent life for herself in Boston. While still believing in the faith of her childhood, she has recently fallen into fornication and been disfellowshipped from the LDS Church. Trying to repent, Eliza connects with local native Eric Abercrombie on the subway, and soon she's prodding him in a race against hormones as the couple navigates Mormon baptism and wedding hurdles. Further complicating matters are Eric's adopted daughter Manda, his bossy ex-wife Helen, and Manda's Wiccan birth mother Kindra, all three of whom live together. As Eliza tries to establish her place in Eric's improbable clan, she's forced to reckon with her Mormon identity and her sometimes-overactive religious imagination in unsettling new ways. Eliza's journey of physical and spiritual passion is fraught with frottage, Mormon-style guilt, otherworldly visions, ministrations of evil spirits, and culture clashes between Mormonism and Wiccanism, all shot through with simmering intimations of polygamy that eventually reach a crisis point.

282 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2007

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not worth the time it took to read it. It started out good but then just deteriorated until at the end I had really disliked the book.

[Laura Craner · Rating 2 out of 5]

read my review here http://www.motleyvision.org/2008/kind...

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I didn't like what occurred in the story, the main character was complex and believable. For anyone who wants to understand the Mormon mindset, this is a book they should read.