H.O.T. Press Announces A Debut Novel by Zoe Murdock - Torn by God: A Family's Struggle with Polygamy

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 06, 2009 – In her debut novel, Torn by God (308 pp., tpb, $17.99, Amazon Kindle edition, $4.60), Zoe Murdock, returns to the world of her childhood to try to understand what was behind her mother’s early death and why she always said, “If they have polygamy in heaven, I don’t want to go there.”

Inspired by true events, Torn by God is a riveting family drama that takes place in 1959 in a small Mormon town in Utah. It chronicles the devastation brought upon the Sterling family when the father has a vision which leads him to become involved with a local polygamist group run by a self-serving fundamentalist named Brother Reuben. Under the influence of this group, the father comes to believe that the Mormon Church never should have rescinded polygamy. He knows that the practice is against the law and grounds for excommunication, but he feels it is something God demands of him.

Twelve-year-old Beth watches helplessly as her father becomes increasingly involved with the polygamists and her mother sinks into depression and illness. Even Beth is not safe from Brother Reuben with his piercing eyes and suggestive sexual remarks. When her father leaves home to help the polygamists build a church, the family is cast off by the Mormon community. It is up to Beth to take care of her sick mother and her little brother, Mikey.

FictionWeek says - “This novel does more than tell one family's tragic story; it explores the controversial association between mainstream Mormons and fundamentalist polygamous offshoot groups such as those led by Warren Jeffs. The book is hard to put down once you start reading it. At once chilling and informative, it exposes the destructive power of fundamentalist religious indoctrination and control. This novel is sure to spark lively discussions, and maybe more than a little controversy.”






Contact:
S. Sudbury, Publisher
H.O.T. Press Publishing
publisher@hotpresspublishing.com
http://www.hotpresspublishing.com
Phone: (805) 640-6865

Contact the author for an interview:
zoemurdock@yahoo.com
http://www.zoemurdock.com

Read sample chapters:
http://www.hotpresspublishing.com/tornbygodstart.html

Available at:
Amazon.com
BookSurge.com
Baker & Taylor