Amity & Sorrow by Peggy Riley

Two sisters sit in the backseat of a car, bound at the wrists by a strip of white cloth. Their mother, Amaranth, drives for days without pause, desperate to get away from the husband she fears will follow them to the earth's end. Her daughters, Amity and Sorrow, cannot comprehend why they're fleeing or fathom what exists outside their father's polygamous compound. When an exhausted Amaranth crashes their car in rural Oklahoma, rescue arrives in the form of Bradley, a farmer not unfamiliar with loss and uncertain futures. At first mistrustful of the strange, prayerful trio, Bradley allows his abiding tolerance to get the best of him, and the four become a new kind of family.

REVIEW:
I knew this book about a polygamous cult would be disturbing, but even so I was surprised by some of the elements of the story. This well-written look at three women trying to escape from the only life they have even known is compelling and moving. Watching Amity and Sorrow attempt to navigate what is to them a strange new world, I could not help but wish that things were going to progress well for them- even though I knew it was most unlikely. Given the subject matter, this book might not be for everyone, but it is an strong example of the genre. Not exactly the type of book one can claim to like, this novel is a strong read that commands the reader's interest from beginning to end.