Review
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Title: Three Mormon Missionaries: A Novel
Author: Terry Cook
Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
Genre: Humorous Fiction
Year Published: 2014
Number of Pages: 144
Binding: Paperback
ISBN13: 978-1-4834-2095-0
Price: $14.99
Info: http://snipurl.com/29ipz1h
Reviewed by Kristie Wilkins for the Association for Mormon Letters
“Three Mormon Missions” tells the story of three fictional young men and their experiences preparing for, serving and returning from serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Author Terry Cook states “with so many (missionaries), and because they all look alike, it would be easy to assume that they all come from the same circumstance…my hope is that when you see these missionaries, you will know there is a unique story behind each one.” [ix] What follows is an engaging tale of three young men as they go through their missions.
Throughout the novel the author explores the missionaries’ thoughts and feelings at each major step in their journey. He also shares the experiences of some of his character’s family and friends. As we are introduced to Cook’s characters we do indeed find that they appear alike on the surface; all three of the main characters in the book are white, educated, middle to upper class American young men who are described as “flat out gorgeous” [3], “handsome” [8], and “above average good looks” [10]. They have all been raised in LDS families who love and support them. All three young men are also depicted as serving missions in the United States. The differences in the Elders emerge as the author rotates the story through each young man’s perspective as each chapter brings the next step in the mission experience.
Elder Cooper is a wealthy young man from Southern California who is somewhat reluctant to turn in his mission papers and leave his non-LDS girlfriend behind for two years. He is surprised but not upset to open his call to serve in Wyoming. He serves faithfully and meets challenges with patience and forgiveness, setting an example for his father, who struggles with guilt throughout the book for not being closer to his son and for his girlfriend, who in part because of his righteous example, finds her own way to accepting the truth of the LDS church.
Elder Miller is the oldest child in a large farming family from Washington State. His father having recently passed away, Elder Miller fights conflicting feelings between his obligation to help his family at home and his obligation to serving the Lord. He also battles the self-consciousness that comes from having suffered with speech impairment throughout his childhood. Elder Miller is called to New York City where he serves with great enthusiasm and finds talents and reserves of strength he didn’t know he had.
Elder Young is the youngest child in a Utah family who are very proud of both their pioneer ancestry and their legacy of church service. He has diligently prepared to serve a glorious mission in an exotic foreign land and is devastated to receive a call to New Mexico to serve among the Native Americans there. Elder Young struggles with his attitude through much of his mission but has his heart softened through the patience and love of his mission president and companions just prior to being critically injured in a car accident.
The author does a great job of demonstrating both the emotional struggles missionaries face and the tremendous growth that occurs as these young men serve the Lord. Cook also effectively illustrates the thoughts, feelings, and growth of the characters’ family members at home. Cooks’ characters were developed well enough that I could identify many traits in each that I have seen in the young men I have witnessed come and go from missions over the years. The most powerful technique the author used, in my opinion, was the use of “letters”, especially from those whose lives the missionaries touched.
There is one aspect of the book I found a bit off-putting. Although I found Terry Cook’s characters interesting and wanted to cheer for them through their challenges, it felt to me as if the author relied on trite and often offensive stereotypes of LDS culture for humor in the book. If Cook’s intent was to create a better understanding of who LDS missionaries are and the unique sacrifices they make in serving the Lord, I believe the author should have avoided extreme examples and drawn a more realistic picture instead of relying on stereotypes that on the surface seem funny but actually undermine the sincerity of missionaries and their families. For example, the night before leaving for the MTC, Elder Cooper’s sisters and mothers are described as “outright hysterical and inconsolable” and his father as “beside himself”. [45-46] The old drop off procedure experience at the Mission Training Center is further depicted as “howling, screaming, screeching, crying and gnashing of teeth”, the drama “indescribable”. [46] If these descriptions were intended to be humorous they missed the mark.
I waited for the arrival of this book with great anticipation. The brief description I had received intrigued me and as a mother of an LDS missionary myself I looked forward to sitting down to a treat. My first impression on opening the book and viewing the full title, “Three Mormon Missions: A Novel,” was something of a surprise. It’s a work of fiction. I had thought it was a non-fiction title. It has been said that truth is often stranger than fiction. I believe truth is also more powerful and poignant. I would absolutely love to see the author approach this concept as a work of nonfiction.
I think the author’s main purpose would be better served by interviewing actual missionaries currently serving or having recently returned from their missions and telling their true stories. Highlight the experiences of missionaries, both Elders *and* Sisters, from different backgrounds, cultures, races and financial circumstances. Tell me the true-life story of a missionary like Elder Miller‘s companion Elder Tifour from Haiti and others who make sacrifices most American missionaries cannot comprehend but could learn a great deal from.
All in all, if you are looking for an uplifting, light read I think you will enjoy “Three Mormon Missions.” Terry Cook has created characters that will engage your attention and steal your heart. As you begin to see a little of yourself in their personalities and struggles you will be reminded that sometimes our challenges give us just the right amount of compassion, insight and wisdom to serve as instruments in the hands of the Lord.