The Ninth Wife

Publisher Harper Collins, May 10, 2011

Thirty-five-year-old folklorist and amateur martial artist Bess Gray is a single woman living in Washington, D.C., who falls in love with Rory, a charming Irish musician with a secret. When Rory asks her to marry him, Bess, who had nearly given up hope of marrying at all, is horrified to find that he has eight ex-wives. She sets out on a cross-country journey with the intention, unbeknownst to Rory, of seeking them out. In alternating chapters, Rory ruminates about each of his ex-wives and how he has become a serial spouse.

Along for the ride are Bess’s grandparents, who’ve been married sixty-five years and fight constantly; her gay neighbor (himself an utter mystery); a shar-pei named Stella; and a mannequin named Peace. Will Bess say yes to Rory? Would a sane woman really consider becoming any man’s ninth wife?

“I love this book’s deft, fresh take on male-female relationships: a wary woman finds herself falling for a decidedly un-commitment-phobic man. As Amy Stolls takes us into the minds, hearts, and histories of Bess and Rory, we grapple with the thorny, thrilling truth that love is always complicated, always–every time, every day–a risk.”
— Marisa de los Santos, author of Love Walked In