by Carol Lynch Williams
ages: 13+
First sentence: “If I was going to kill the Prophet,” I say, not even keeping my voice low, “I’d do it in Africa.”
Review copy sent by a publicist, I think.

This one first hit my radar back in February, when Sarah reviewed it. Since then, it’s been popping up here and there, and always with the same result: people love it.

It’s tough to read, it’s disturbing and unsettling, but it’s beautifully written, and ultimately hopeful. In short: it’s one of those books that won’t leave you alone even after you’ve finished.

Thirteen-year-old Kyra is part of The Chosen Ones, a community of polygamists in an unspecified desert. She’s not been an especially happy member of the community — she loves her family, but isn’t quite sure about the Prophet — and when the Prophet tells her that he’s had a vision of her marrying her 60-year-old uncle and that the wedding will take place in 4 weeks, Kyra knows she has to get out. Except that getting out is much, much harder — and will cost more — than she can realize.

It has a premise similar to The Patron Saint of Butterflies — exploring the boundries between faith, belief and control and the effect religious communities have on children — but The Chosen One takes it to a new level. Sparse and effective, Williams writes a novel that reads like poetry. And every word, carefully chosen, adds to the tension of Kyra’s plight. The book grips you, sticks with you, and leaves you hanging in its wake.

And then you will get up and gush about it, too.

Promise.

Buy it at: Amazon, Powell’s, or your local independent bookstore.