Emma Blair Tribol is a young divorcee with a small child, financial woes, and an attitude that just won't quit. Raised in the Church, she long ago abandoned the principles taught by her parents. Her marriage to Jake didn't work out well; they separated not long after the birth of their daughter, Catherine. Although she has a fairly good job, she is still looking for work to help better her life and her daughter's situation. So when an opportunity arose to do some light housekeeping for an absentee homeowner, she jumped at the chance.

The homeowner is successful builder Andrew Davidson. Something of a playboy, accustomed to the nicer things in life and well able to afford them, he works mainly in Los Angeles, but he also owns a home in Utah. It is this home that he wants Emma to come clean once a week, just in case he happens to come to Utah.

Then, one day, Andrew is summoned to an attorney's office. A bequest had been created, with some very strange stipulations. Among them is that Andrew must be married for one full year by the time he turns 30 years old, his wife must take on his name, and they must be living together. Worth 2.5 million dollars, Andrew realizes he'd better start shopping for a wife of convenience.

As it turns out, Emma is the most attractive to him. He suggests a deal -- we get married but we sleep in separate bedrooms, you perform hostess duties, etc. -- and he will give her ten percent of the bequest when he receives it. Emma has conditions of her own -- he must give up drinking, and, hardest of all, he has to promise not to engage in sexual relations with any women during this time. After all, they are married. (Oh, Emma has to give up smoking, an indication of how far she'd drifted from her Mormon roots.)

What follows is a sometimes wacky tale of a pretend marriage and a growing attraction between Andrew and Emma. Emma proves to be more volatile than Andrew had thought, with little Catherine sometimes getting caught in the middle of their spats. And then, while on a ski trip, something happens (I'll let you read it yourself) and the story takes a strange turn, with emotions running wild and Andrew and Emma's fragile relationship about to shatter.

Emma has a good support system. Siblings and their spouses (her mom and dad are serving on a mission) live nearby to offer emotional and material support. But Emma has built up a hard shell -- repelling not just the Church, but any attempt at connecting with her on a deep level.

To Have or to Hold is an emotional roller-coaster, often surprising the reader with fresh insights and its stark recognition of the frailty of human relationships, the tentativeness of the mortal path. I was sometimes amused, frequently moved, and never bored as I found myself living out Emma's angst, her deep depression and her desire for closure.

This book is, I think, a step above the ordinary Mormon romance novel. It treats a very serious medical condition (if I name it, it will ruin the story), although not often discussed, with dignity and sobriety. It peers into the human condition (mostly Emma's) and argues, in its prose, for a more generous attitude toward the unique problems women face.

I really enjoyed this book, and hope many will seek it out and read it.

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Jeff Needle
September 28, 2005