Effigy

Mormons. Polygamy. Taxidermy. Love.

Fiction & Literature, Religious, Historical
Cover of the book Effigy by Alissa York, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alissa York ISBN: 9781429986021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: September 16, 2008
Imprint: Thomas Dunne Books Language: English
Author: Alissa York
ISBN: 9781429986021
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: September 16, 2008
Imprint: Thomas Dunne Books
Language: English

"A small masterpiece . . . Exhilarating and genuinely fresh." ---National Post (Canada)

Set on a Mormon ranch in nineteenth-century Utah, and inspired by the real events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, Alissa York's Effigy is a haunting story of a polygamous family united by faith but separated by secrets.

At the heart of the novel is Dorrie, the fourth wife of rancher, hunter, and horse breeder Erastus Hammer. A pale child bride with a mass of untamable black hair, she cannot recall anything of her life before she recovered from an illness at the age of seven. Her keenest pleasure lies in the act of bringing dead creatures to life through the art of taxidermy, and Hammer has married her not for love, or even lust, but so that she might make fitting trophies of his kills. The matter is urgent for Hammer, as he is slowly going blind.

Happy to be given this work, Dorrie secludes herself in her workshop world, away from Mother Hammer's watchful eye and the rivalry of the elder wives. But when Hammer brings Dorrie a whole family of wolves to fashion into a tableau, she struggles with her craft for the first time in her short life, dreaming each night of crows and strange scenes of violence. The new hand, Bendy Drown, is the only one to see her dilemma and offer her help, a dangerous game in a Mormon household.

Outside, a lone wolf prowls the grounds looking for his lost pack, and his nocturnal searching will unearth the secret tensions of this complex and conflicted family.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

"A small masterpiece . . . Exhilarating and genuinely fresh." ---National Post (Canada)

Set on a Mormon ranch in nineteenth-century Utah, and inspired by the real events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, Alissa York's Effigy is a haunting story of a polygamous family united by faith but separated by secrets.

At the heart of the novel is Dorrie, the fourth wife of rancher, hunter, and horse breeder Erastus Hammer. A pale child bride with a mass of untamable black hair, she cannot recall anything of her life before she recovered from an illness at the age of seven. Her keenest pleasure lies in the act of bringing dead creatures to life through the art of taxidermy, and Hammer has married her not for love, or even lust, but so that she might make fitting trophies of his kills. The matter is urgent for Hammer, as he is slowly going blind.

Happy to be given this work, Dorrie secludes herself in her workshop world, away from Mother Hammer's watchful eye and the rivalry of the elder wives. But when Hammer brings Dorrie a whole family of wolves to fashion into a tableau, she struggles with her craft for the first time in her short life, dreaming each night of crows and strange scenes of violence. The new hand, Bendy Drown, is the only one to see her dilemma and offer her help, a dangerous game in a Mormon household.

Outside, a lone wolf prowls the grounds looking for his lost pack, and his nocturnal searching will unearth the secret tensions of this complex and conflicted family.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Secret Weapon by Alissa York
Cover of the book I'll See You in Paris by Alissa York
Cover of the book The New Prince by Alissa York
Cover of the book Pale as the Dead by Alissa York
Cover of the book The Power Trip by Alissa York
Cover of the book A Darkness Absolute by Alissa York
Cover of the book The Perfect Game by Alissa York
Cover of the book Tree Spiker by Alissa York
Cover of the book Great on the Job by Alissa York
Cover of the book Scared Money by Alissa York
Cover of the book Salt by Alissa York
Cover of the book Southern Ladies & Gentlemen by Alissa York
Cover of the book Blood is the Sky by Alissa York
Cover of the book Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl by Alissa York
Cover of the book Silencer by Alissa York
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy