Section 132

by Helga Zeiner

[wcs53]

To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect from this book. I volunteered to review it as part of a virtual tour and hoped that it would at least be an enjoyable read. As it turns out, it is a very enjoyable read.

It took me a little while to get into the book. At first I thought it a little slow, but on reflection the early pace was dictated by some well detailed character development, which helped immensely as the book progressed. The further I got into it, the less I wanted to put it down. It is, as described in some of the tour info, quite a page turner. I don't believe in giving away too much of the story in my reviews, so this one will be no different.

The story has some strong characters from worlds that are almost worlds apart, but similar in that they are controlled by situations almost beyond their control. On one side there is wealthy property developer, who is a kind of self-made millionaire. He finds himself at the mercy of a government official who could put make his latest land project almost impossible to bring to completion, making him bankrupt. On the other side there is a young teenage girl, who has been raised in a strict fundamentalist offshoot of the Mormon church, and now finds herself trapped in a polygamous marriage that she had no choice in being a part of, as well as feeling major doubts about what she really believes. The characters collide because the developer's project borders with the fundamentalist compound in which this girl is trapped.

I don't know too much about the Mormon religion, and less still about some of the breakaway fundamentalist groups. What I do know is that there is danger when people get, or take, too much power and use this to manipulate or add their own interpretation to any sacred text to suit their own agenda or to increase their own power. This is demonstrated well in another of the strong characters in this book, the leader, or self-proclaimed 'bishop', of the compound that is at the centre of this story. What is scary, upon reflection, is that this story has, according to the author, some basis in fact.

As this story moved towards its conclusion it took a number of interesting and unexpected turns. The ending definitely could not be described as predictable, which is something I really liked while reading it.

I have no problem in recommending this book, but I do so with a cautionary note. Some may find the way in which the life and events of the religious compound are described to be a little disturbing and for this reason may not be able to complete the book. I actually think that if this is the sort of thing that really happens (and I don't doubt that it is), then we should be disturbed by it and people or groups who behave in this manner should not be allowed to hide behind the 'rights' of religious expression. However, that is a debate for another time and, perhaps, a different forum.

Putting aside this caution, this is a book worth reading. It will keep you guessing to the end, but you'll have to read it for yourself to find out how it all turns out.