Elna Baker is a 27-year-old virgin.
She’s also an actress, writer, comedienne and practicing Mormon living in New York City, or as her mother once called it, “Babylon.”
Her latest book, “The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance,” gives readers an intimate glimpse into one woman’s quest to find a man while staying true to the traditions of her conservative faith — all the while, being constantly surrounded by temptation in New York social circles.
In the memoir, Baker begins her story at the annual New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance, an event organized to bring together single Mormons living in Manhattan.
According to Baker, this event has an ulterior, unspoken motive: “How else would we Manhattan Mormons meet, marry, then make more Mormons?” This event serves as the reader’s introduction into Baker’s life — a life full of awkward romantic encounters and a continual
questioning of her Mormon faith. This slightly unconventional coming-of-age story depicts Baker’s struggle to remain chaste as she is suddenly thrust into the city’s dating scene.
Baker’s life has all the makings of a good memoir, but “The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance” disappoints readers who are looking for anything resembling insight. One of the central themes throughout the memoir is Baker’s struggle with accepting her Mormon faith and translating it into her life as a young single woman in New York City.
Baker fails to adequately describe her faith to readers unfamiliar with the religion or offer thoughts about her tumultuous relationship with her faith.
At times, Baker begins to delve deeper into her connections with Mormonism but ultimately pulls away before asserting anything thought-provoking. Her memoir reads like shallow chick lit, and Baker embodies the stereotype of the genre perfectly. She frequently muses on her desire to find a boyfriend and be as pretty as her perfect older sister, Tina.
Baker’s experience as a stand-up comedienne is the only thing that can save her book from being discarded or shoved under a bed. At times, her stories are downright laugh-out-loud funny, particularly her anecdotes about her family.
In one notably amusing recollection, Baker imparts to readers the advice she received from her parents upon her rejection to Brigham Young University and decision to attend New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts to purse a degree in acting.
“My mother rolled her eyes. ‘There’s one more thing,’ she said. ‘There are these clubs in New York where men pay larger women to dance with very little clothing on; don’t do that.’”
Although Baker’s honesty, comedic writing style and extraordinary raw material are the perfect recipe for a successful and engaging memoir, something just isn’t right. “The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance,” like a slice of low-fat, sugar-free chocolate cake, leaves readers unsatisfied.
Memoir portrays difficulty of entering dating scene while preserving tradition
Published: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Updated: Thursday, November 19, 2009
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