The Desert Between Us: A Novel

Geoffrey Scott, one of the road builders, decides to venture north to discover new opportunities in the opening of the American West when he—and the camels—are no longer needed. Geoffrey arrives in St. Thomas, Nevada, a polygamous settlement caught up in territorial fights over boundaries and new taxation. There, he falls in love with Sophia Hughes, a hat maker obsessed with beauty and the third wife of a polygamist. Geoffrey believes Sophia wants to be free of polygamy and go away with him to a better life, but Sophia’s motivations are not so easily understood. She had become committed to Mormon beliefs in England and had moved to Utah Territory to assuage her spiritual needs. When faced with the opportunity to move away from her polygamist husband and her tumultuous life in St. Thomas, Sophia becomes tormented by a life-changing decision she must face alone.

I loved the idea of The Desert Between Us. I was especially drawn to the time period because I have not read many historical novels that explore the American West; therefore, The Desert Between Us offered a pleasant variation. But, I personally felt as if The Desert Between Us was a bit slow, especially towards the beginning, to the point where I could have skipped chunks of the book and still understand what was going on.