Review of The Chosen One

The Chosen One

by Carol Lynch Williams

Pages: 224

Pub. Date: May 12, 2009
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least 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 the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-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."

Ok, readers. I need to ask you something. Where have I been? Why haven't I picked up this brilliant book before? The Chosen One was fantastic. It is easily up there with the best young adult books I've ever read.  Why hasn't this book received more hype or am I just catching on now? With that said, Carol Lynch Williams weaves such a haunting tale that was truly hard to read....and in a good way.   It was one of those stories that caused me anxiety and disgust, but I simply couldn't pry my hands off the book.  

As the Goodreads summary stated, Kyra is one of twenty-one children in her family.  Her father has three wives and they live in a polygamist community that is isolated from the "evil" outside world.  They are ruled by the Prophet and his Apostles who live lavishly in beautiful homes, whereas Kyra's family and other families in the compound live in run down trailers.  The Prophet decides that God has spoken to him and Kyra is to marry a sixty year old man.  And not just any old man.  This man is her UNCLE!  To make this nightmare even more complicated, Krya has been secretly seeing a boy named Joshua and they planned to get married once he becomes old enough to "choose" her as his wife.  However, she cannot openly talk about this agreement with Joshua since sneaking around with him is considered a nefarious activity.  Unlike the other woman in her compound, Kyra questions the world she lives in, she reads novels, and attempts to stand up for herself in a world that is trying to break her.  As I was reading this novel, I thought to myself why can't she just escape? But there is so much more to take into consideration....especially what could happen to her or her family if she disobeys the Prophet.  

Needless to say, the hypocrisy in Kyra's world enraged me and in the back of my mind, I was haunted by the fact that this story could be true. Williams creates characters that are extremely believable and creates an unthinkable situation that truly requires her readers to reflect. I know that I was contemplating Kyra's spellbinding story long after I read the final page.   

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