Eric Samuelsen (1956–2019)

A writer of a book about a group of thirty- and fortysomething single Mormons faces a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, narrative structure and human nature dictate that at least some of the characters will pair up by the end of the story. On the other hand, a story in which marriage is the solution to all problems will serve to reinforce the cultural assumption that single Mormons are somehow "broken."

Samuelsen does a good job walking the tightrope between these two extremes. Although I found at least one of the pairings predictable, he is careful to portray the engagements as just another step in life, not necessarily the last or most important step. He also allows some of his characters to grow and change without getting married, which I appreciate.

This story was originally a play (under the name "The Way We're Wired) and I'm sorry I never got a chance to see it. I did have some trouble keeping the characters straight, at first, which might have been less of an issue in a visual medium, but the story otherwise transitioned well to the written form.… (mais)