Viewers of the HBO TV series Big Love will recognize some of the particulars. These polygamous marriages, coercive political alliances made between the bride's father and the middle-aged groom, include frequent sex but, in the author's experience, not much passion or affection.

Jessop's often-rambling account of life inside a polygamous sect is at turns fascinating and tedious. She provides inside details of infighting, jealousy and ranking among sister wives, stories of child neglect and even abuse, and accounts of laundry and meal preparation.

Questions continue to lurk: How can polygamous households endlessly accommodate more and more wives and children? What sort of houses do they live in? Why don't people outside these communities acknowledge the polygamous lifestyle of their neighbours?