"Combining deep emotional candor and spare, elegant prose, Hallstrom's debut novel is a poignant exploration of family, faith, and the ties that bind." -Kathryn Lynard Soper, editor of Segullah: Writings by Latter-Day Saint Women "Bound on Earth is a book in which the reader draws connections to the self; we see our own struggles, betrayals, hard loves, desire. It is a beautiful, honest chronicle of one family's journey through time." -Sheila O'Connor, author of Where No Gods Came and winner of the Minnesota Book Award " The novel's] language is beautiful and transparent, evocative in its descriptiveness.. Its characters are complex and well-rendered, its ambitions serious and sincere. A compelling exploration of one family's struggles toward intimacy and self-awareness in a world that pulls people asunder, Bound on Earth succeeds on many levels." -Robert Van Wagoner, Utah Arts Council judge and author of Dancing Naked "Angela Hallstrom demonstrates an admirable mastery of the art of fiction. The subtle background to this novel is the Mormon world view, established without preaching or assumptions of superiority. But it presents a far from idealized vision of reality. By moments the members of this extended family writhe with conflict, tension, depression, self-pity, and misbehavior. If there's a lesson to be learned from this novel, it's that the pain and endurance required to create a family are worth it." -Levi Peterson, author of The Backslider and editor of Dialogue magazine