The Lonely Polygamist: A NovelA New York Times bestseller: "Udall masterfully portrays the hapless foibles and tragic yearnings of our fellow humans." —San Francisco Chronicle Golden Richards, husband to four wives, father to twenty-eight children, is having the mother of all midlife crises. His construction business is failing, his family has grown into an overpopulated mini-dukedom beset with insurrection and rivalry, and he is done in with grief: due to the accidental death of a daughter and the stillbirth of a son, he has come to doubt the capacity of his own heart. Brady Udall, one of our finest American fiction writers, tells a tragicomic story of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future. Like John Irving and Richard Yates, Udall creates characters that engage us to the fullest as they grapple with the nature of need, love, and belonging. Beautifully written, keenly observed, and ultimately redemptive, The Lonely Polygamist is an unforgettable story of an American family—with its inevitable dysfunctionality, heartbreak, and comedy—pushed to its outer limits. |
Contents
15 | |
41 | |
AN AMBUSH | 58 |
THE AHOLES OF OLD HOUSE | 68 |
OLD HOUSE | 74 |
THE STATE OF HIS SOULD | 80 |
NUMBER ONE DANIEL | 90 |
THE BOY AT THE WINDOW | 106 |
NESTOR AND THE OLD LADY | 326 |
TO LOVE A SCOUNDREL | 340 |
A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY | 357 |
FOR THE PLEASURE OF SENSUAL LIVING | 367 |
RULE NUMERO UNO | 383 |
THE HUNT | 398 |
TAMPON MAN | 415 |
A MINOR PLAGUE | 428 |
A NEW FRIEND | 109 |
A PEEPING TOM | 121 |
ANDVANCED LOVEMAKING TECHNIQUES FOR THE REST OF US | 147 |
DRIVING LESSONS | 155 |
THE DUPLEX | 171 |
THE FAMILY TERRORIST | 175 |
CIRCLING BACK | 190 |
APOCALYPSE TOMORROW | 211 |
SACRIFICE | 221 |
THE BOY AT THE WINDOW | 229 |
NO ORDINARY SLEAZEBALL | 236 |
ROW OF ANGELS | 256 |
THE MONKEY NET | 286 |
JUST MARRIED | 303 |
BIG HOUSE | 318 |
JEALOUS IS THE RAGE OF MAN | 441 |
THE BOY AT THE WINDOW | 460 |
LETTERS MINGLE SOULS | 465 |
DOLL HOUSE | 483 |
A LITTLE HARMLESS COURTSHIP | 491 |
IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE AND INCENDIARY DEVICES FOR THE GUERRILLA FIGHTER | 509 |
SOMEONE NOT LIKE HIM | 515 |
THE CONFESSIONS OF GOLDEN RICHARDS | 540 |
THE BOY AT THE WINDOW | 566 |
THE MIDDLE PAIN | 571 |
A FUNERAL | 577 |
A FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH | 586 |
A WEDDING | 594 |
AUTHORS NOTE | 601 |