14 year old Alva was born into the FLDS and it is the only life she knows. She lives in the Compound with her father, mother, six other wives and many siblings.
She's sees the jealousies that go on within her own home, but thinks it is a small price to pay so that she may live in Heaven in the afterlife.
Alva wants to be with Joseph John and he has even dreamed of her, which he feels is a revelation that she's to be his wife.
When Alva monthly cycle begins, she can now be married. She tells Joseph John, so that he may talk to his father about marrying her. And in her excitement, Alva kisses Joseph John very lightly on the lips.
Caught by one of her father's wives, both Alva and Joseph John are punished and soon Alva is married off to a man much older than her. Somehow she knows she has to escape.
Although fiction, this book has details about the FLDS, who are a very real group. The author had done her research well on FLDS. I can tell she has read books by women who have escaped since Alva's life and what happened to her are very similar to real women who have lived it.
I like Alva. I think she is a good character and strong, especially once her eyes were open to the truth.
There are some graphic parts in the book, but I'm glad the author didn't hold back. Alva doesn't magically get rescued from the cruelty and abuse of her community. Not only does she witness abuse, but eventually experiences it herself and knows the only way to get out of it is by leaving.
It is a good book. Intense at times and very realistic. I think the author did a great job.
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