Dean Hughes' Historical Novels Live Up to Their Promise

Riding on the success of Gerald Lund's popular The Work and the Glory books, Dean Hughes stepped into the market with his own historical novel series, The Children of the Promise. Unlike Lund, Hughes recently brought his collection to a close. The last book in his series, As Long As I Have You, wraps up the story of the Thomas family.

In the first volume, Rumors of War, we are introduced to stake president Al Thomas, his wife Bea, and their children: Alex, Bobbi, Wally, Gene, LaRue and Beverly. The story begins in Sugar House, Utah, where President Thomas lives and runs a manufacturing business. As World War II breaks out, the four oldest children enlist, changing the family's lives forever. The next two books describe Alex, Bobbi, Wally and Gene's experiences at war and the trials the rest of the family faces on the homefront. The last volume brings the survivors home and focuses on how everyone copes following the completion of the war.

The entire series is well-crafted and very believable. Dean Hughes focuses on a handful of characters, all of whom have weaknesses, trials and doubts. Al Thomas, the mighty stake president, displays a hot temper and a stubbornness that often isolates him from his family. Bea loves her husband, but is not afraid to point out his flaws. They work together as husband and wife, but experience their share of arguments and disagreements. The Thomas children do not behave as angels or robots; some of them struggle with their testimonies, some clash with their parents, and several fight crippling emotional problems. As a family, they are faithful and true, but they also seem real enough to be living next door.

Unlike some LDS authors, Dean Hughes seems willing to broach subjects that Mormons generally consider taboo. He mentions sex in marriage, even insinuating that the couples enjoy lovemaking. He also brings up breastfeeding, marital difficulties, problems in parenting and rebelliousness. Through Cecil Broadbent, one of his minor characters, Hughes also discusses common criticisms of the church. He takes each of these potentially embarrassing topics and deals with them tactfully, in a way that won't offend even the most sensitive of readers. However, by exploring these taboos, Hughes seems to be saying, 'Hey, these things are part of our lives, let's talk about how they affect us.' I applaud Hughes' efforts to make LDS fiction more representative and relative to real life, without dwelling unnecessarily on the nitty gritty.

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