Novels Now

The Wives of Henry Oades
By Johanna Moran
Completed February 28, 2010

The Wives of Henry Oades, the debut novel by Johanna Moran, was inspired by a court case from the late 1800’s. Henry Oades was accused of polygamy when his first wife, who he thought was dead, found him in California. By the time the first Mrs. Oades’ arrived, Henry had remarried, and in the eyes of anti-Mormon California, he had broken the law, despite the unusual circumstances.

Drawing from this court case, Moran built a story around Henry, his first wife Margaret and his second wife Nancy. Henry and Margaret were living in New Zealand, and after several months, the native Maori kidnapped Margaret and their four children, and burned down their cottage. A family friend was visiting Margaret at the time of the abduction, and her body was found in the ashes. Henry assumed it was Margaret, and after months of waiting, he lost all hope for finding his children. He set sail for San Francisco and a new life.

Once settled in Berkely, Henry happened upon another house fire – one leaving a pregnant woman, Nancy, widowed and penniless. Henry felt a bond with Nancy and proposed marriage. Nancy agreed, more for the financial security, and settled into Henry’s dairy farm. A few weeks later, Margaret and the three surviving children found their way to Henry’s doorstep.

California was very anti-Mormon during this time, so the Oades’ living arrangements caused enormous public outcry. Slain pets, tainted food, thrown tomatoes, public sneers and court cases all plagued the family as they tried to adjust and figure out what to do.

In a time when divorce was taboo and annulment meant illegitimizing your children, both wives stubbornly refused to leave Henry. The women, unfortunately, did not have a lot of resources without their husband’s support. It was interesting to see how the wives awkwardly tried to fit into the same household – Margaret with her stoicism and Nancy with her emotions. They got it working but not without a lot of bumps in the road.

Highly recommended for readers of historic fiction, The Wives of Henry Oades was a fast, page-turning read full of interesting characters and rich history. I look forward to more books by Johanna Moran. ( )