I turned the final page of Mormonville by Jeff Call, and had to admit, like the cover blurb said, I wanted to "cheer for the Saints, and give thanks to the Lord for this treasured way of life (George Durrant)". I laughed. I cried. I found a few typos. I wondered why the author felt the need to end each chapter with a summary sentence that smacked of Nancy Drew mysteries. But in the end, I forgave the shortcomings of this first novel by journalist Jeff Call, and let myself be drawn in by the characters.

Mormonville isn't great literary writing. Its short, punchy sentence structure is proof that the writer comes from a newspaper background and doesn't waste words. There are no breath-catching metaphors or lovely turns of phrase. But it is a solid story, plot and character driven, with a satisfying ending. Some may say too satisfying, given the penchant we Mormon's are accused of -- too many happy endings, too much "all is well". However, Jeff Call approaches it through the cynical eyes of protagonist Luke Manning, and once we've been through Manning's "year among the Mormons", learn of his past, and experience the protective wall he has built around himself, we are willing to let him have a happy ending. The chinks in his wall happen slowly, and not from some major life changing moment, but from a series of small events. More than anything else, those small events combined to make this conversion story real.

It occurred to me in the middle of reading Mormonville, that this is what a "romance" story looks like from a macho sports-type guy's point of view. I had recently finished reading The Healing Place by Sharon Downing Jarvis (Deseret Book, 1994, ISBN 0-87579-817-9). The plot lines developed from a similar premise -- a non-member drawn into a Mormon community against his/her better judgment, mostly through the innocence of children. However, Call's plot device of using a caustic journalist from NYC as the protagonist, and allowing us glimpses into his sarcastic writings and judgments of the people he meets, was a lot more palatable than rattling around the heroine's endless ruminations as was the case in THE HEALING PLACE. Call's approach left a lot more room for zingers, quips and negative responses towards the people the "outsider" meets.

In Mormonville, casting the protagonist as a sarcastic, self-absorbed elitist posing as a Mormon wanna-be causes a bit of discomfort for the reader. How much is one willing to like this person when his whole interaction with the rest of the people in the book is one of deceit and duplicity? Call handles that conundrum with a subtle hand. In spite of the circumstances developing in the plot, there is something about Luke Manning that makes the reader sympathetic. Perhaps it is this twist that lifts the novel above run-of-the-mill Mormon fiction.

Interestingly, Mormonville reads almost like a screen play. One can almost envision the writer thinking in terms of scenes and camera angles when crafting the work. It won't surprise me if one of the up and coming Mormon filmmakers opts this work. It would make a fun movie.

It's not at all what I expected from the bits and pieces I'd heard discussed on the AML list prior to the book's release, but I enjoyed the read. And it's one I can pass on to any fellow "Mo" and not wonder what they will think of my testimony and commitment to the church. Sad but true indictment of the general Mormon community's reaction to literature. Challenging, difficult question raising works like John Bennion's Falling Toward Heaven cause some people to judge my judgment...as Sisters McGowan and Fridrych would. Who are they you ask? Better read Mormonville and find out.