The Chosen One - Carol Lynch Williams

May 12, 2009

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don't count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.
But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever. (Chapters, CA)

     Somehow when I picked up this book, I had completely forgotten what it was about, so I was temporarily surprised when I started. The book unapologetically throws you right into the middle of Kyra's story. Don't say I didn't warn you.

     The one thing that bothered me throughout the whole book was the writing style, which I found too young for my taste. The book does speak as a naive, sheltered thirteen year old, but I didn't get the sense that the taint of immaturity was due to her age and circumstance. My opinion is this book is geared toward a much younger audience (ie. tweenagers).

     I didn't dislike the book, but it just doesn't make the cut as a favourite. As I was reading, I found that I was pulling information about polygamists from my previous knowledge to fill in the gaps. Again, perhaps these gaps were there on purpose by the author as a way of further showcasing Kyra's age and cluelessness, but that can only go so far. I think someone new to the idea of polygamy, and these isolated societies which revolve around their prophet and his teachings, would have a hard time really understanding the whole situation. It's way more complicated and sensitive than we as outsiders could ever imagine, and I really felt that that concept was lost in this book.

     That being said, I do think it is a good book for tweens. I give this book a 3 star rating overall, but I really liked the ending, and felt like it deserved a half star. The book speaks on a personal level, so you really get to know and understand Kyra, and get a realistic glimpse into a very different world and way of life.

     I have to start off with the ending, because it's still fresh in my mind. And boy, did it make me cry! The ending itself made me change my rating from its original 3 stars. The whole book, I was rooting for Kyra to run away, leave the compound, and go off with Joshua so they could be together for real. I wanted to throw the book across the room when he left without her! I really thought after that point that no hope was left for her to escape.

     The whole part with Kyra having to marry her Uncle Hyrum (who was not only old and gross, but violent and strict) really disgusted me. I know though that many girls are forced into such marriages for the sake of their religion. Some of these girls truly believe the Prophet and his teachings, others are too scared to question it, and the fact that this causes them to end up this way makes me really sad. Kyra's situation would make her the seventh wife of her Uncle, fifty years her senior. Her disgusted feelings were certainly echoed by me when I was reading.

     The punishments enforced by the God Squad in this compound were absolutely appalling and frightening. Hyrum forced Mother Claire to near-drown her two year old in ice water for crying. Crying! That is really just too far for me. I couldn't tear my thoughts away from the reality of this life that many people lead.

     Poor Partick. He was so nice and sweet, I loved him the whole time. He was like a safety rope, linking Kyra with the outside world, saving her from being swallowed in her compound. I loved the part when Kyra first started borrowing books, Patrick made an excuse to take a rest so Kyra could read with him in the truck. When he understood the danger, and offered to take her away from her life, I was worried that she would get scared and balk. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time that they were racing away, even when the God Squad appeared in their scary Hummers, and took Patrick down. I cried when he was killed.

     I was partly frustrated and partly saddened that Kyra thought everything was her fault. Even at 13, I thought she should be old enough to know that her thoughts can't be read, and no one knows about her books. She kept thinking that she was being punished when she was 'chosen' for Hyrum, when Mariah was punished, when her father nearly lost his family, when Joshua was beaten, or when Patrick was killed. None of these things were her fault; it's just the way her society works.

     The ending, when Kyra finally realized that she was free, and really could do anything she wanted now, really got to me. I felt like I was personally invested in her journey, and was happy when she was finally free. It just really hit home when Kyra was finally safe, and in bed, and she heard tapping at her window. I, too, thought it was Joshua. But it was a Russian olive tree, watching over Kyra. It really was the perfect ending.