Review
Title: The Contortionists
Author: Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner
Publisher: Signature Books
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2020
Number of Pages: 351
Binding: Paper
ISBN: 978-1-56085-289-6
Price: 16.95
Reviewed by Andrew Hamilton for the Association of Mormon Letters
I can probably count the number of novels that I have read since the Harry Potter series ended and my children outgrew having me read to them on one hand. Novels are just not my thing. But when I picked up Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner’s The Contortionists, I was so sucked in after one chapter, that I hardly set it down and read the whole book during one night. (I didn’t get much sleep! It was a good thing the next day was my day off!)
As The Contortionists opens, it has just been reported to the police that five-year-old Joshua Christopher has disappeared from the streets of Ogden, Utah as he walked to a friend’s birthday party. His extended family: parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles, are quickly gathered in to support one another, interview with law enforcement, and become involved in trying to discover what happened. The search for Joshua and the mystery of his vanishing unfolds one tense, fast-paced, three-day weekend. Starting with the third chapter, a parallel story picks up eight years in the past when Josh’s parents Melissa and Joseph met at a party. I won’t say much more about the plot except that in The Contortionists Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner has crafted a fast-paced mystery that will keep you engaged and turning the pages (or swiping the screen) until the end.
As intriguing and compelling as it is, the mystery of the disappearance of young Joshua is just the surface story of The Contortionists. Much like Charles Foster Kane’s sled and the much-desired briefcase in Pulp Fiction, young Joshua is something of a McGuffin who is used to explore important themes about life and human nature. In this novel about a lost boy, Van Wagoner has written an exceptional case study of Mormon life and culture, one of the best I have read. As the Christopher family and police search for the answers to Josh’s disappearance, Van Wagoner takes a deep dive into the lives and troubles of the extended Christopher family. About halfway through the story, two characters are speaking with each other. One says to the other, “People make sacrifices every day, … We’re all contortionists living one lie or another. Sometimes it’s the only honorable thing to do.” These lines are very important and central both to the mystery of The Contortionists and its exploration of the veneer that many families put up believing that their lies and contortions are for the best and that the long-term harm done by them is worth the short-term protection they seem to offer.
As the story of the Christopher family develops, as the carefully placed veneer is peeled away, exposed are many themes, some very troubling, that can affect Mormon families, but that most Mormons feel REALLY uncomfortable talking about. Sexuality, religious extremism, mental and emotional illness, substance abuse, refusing to confront or acknowledge family difficulties, what to do when a family member leaves the faith, all of these are deeply explored in the tale of the lives and faith of the Christopher family. If you read The Contortionists you will not only read an excellent novel, you will be reading a brilliant allegory and a fascinating exploration of the troubles that can develop when members of a family and a unified religious and community try to bury their troubles and dark side.
If you have experienced Mormonism you will appreciate the details and authenticity included in The Contortionists. If you haven’t grown up Mormon or around Mormonism, some of the characters and behaviors in the novel may seem strange and uncomfortable, but your Mormon friends will tell you that they are all real. One young man tells a young woman that he has “fasted and prayed” and that “God blessed (him) with a spiritual confirmation” that they are to marry. He encourages her to pray and get a similar “testimony” because “it wasn’t my idea. It was God who brought it up.” The young lady is not amused. One uncle is a recently returned missionary. He is pious, judgmental, and questions whether some family members deserve divine help. When it is discovered that one family member no longer believes in the LDS Church, another family member expresses that it would be better if they had died. These and other uncomfortable aspects of Mormon life are well woven into the story. Lest you think the book is all negative, Van Wagoner explores the great aspects of Mormon community life too. Neighbors who come out to help and bishops who drop everything to show up and offer nurturing and comfort are in the book too. All of these explorations are well worked into the novel. They are all a natural part of the story. None of them feel tacked on or forced.
I only have two complaints about/criticisms of The Contortionists. The action in the opening chapters is very fast-paced. On one hand, this is very good. The pacing, action, and writing pull the reader into the story and it doesn’t let up until the end of the book. BUT it is also a little confusing. So many characters are introduced so quickly that I had a hard time at first keeping track of who was who and how they were connected. Some novels have a page or two at the beginning that gives brief character descriptions and or a “Family Tree” type diagram that helps readers keep track of who the major characters are and how they are connected. The Contortionists would have been greatly served if it had one of those. If there is ever a reprint/second edition, I would encourage the publishers to include such a chart. My other criticism/complaint relates to part of the story structure. As I mentioned, there are two threads to the plot. There is the “current” timeline that begins minutes after the disappearance of young Joshua has been reported to the police, and there is a flashback timeline that begins with the day that his parents met. Maybe it was just me, but there were a few places where I got a little lost and confused and had to reread a section to make sure that I knew what was going on.
The Contortionists is Robert Hodgson Van Wagoner’s second novel. He wrote his first one twenty years ago. I’m 48. I hope that Van Wagoner doesn’t wait another twenty years to write novel number three. When he writes it, I’ll read it and I barely made it through my all-night session reading this book. I’m not sure that I would survive an all-nighter reading novel number three at 68 😊. Read The Contortionists, it may make you uncomfortable at times, but it is an important discomfort. You need to experience it. When you are done reading, you will be glad that you did.