ESCAPE

The practice of polygamy by the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints) has long made the breakaway Mormon sect an object of curiosity and controversy. In her memoir, Carolyn Jessop exposes this closed society in a book that is both intriguing and unsettling. In light of this, the text can be excused its occasional melodrama and hyperbole. What is more difficult to understand is the flat presentation offered by Ann Marie Lee. Clear and precise, her delivery is pleasant enough, but her lack of drama renders this more of a reading than a performance. The final segment of the book is an interview with the author. Listening to her soft-spoken and articulate voice, one wonders why she didn't read the book herself. M.O.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]