Today in trying out some new genres, something that’s a bit closer to home for me. I do love documentaries about cults and true crime, so a story about kidnapping and cults seems like it would be right up my alley.
The story follows “Esther,” a young girl who must maintain the persona of someone she has never met on a farm where her every move is monitored or she will be eliminated. The farm is the home of the Special Ones, four young people who have been kidnapped to live the lives of people they have never heard of before who are supposedly the reincarnation of older souls who are supposed to lead their followers to a better life.
It is a little slow at the start as life on the farm is established that quickly ramps up upon the need to replace one of the Special Ones and you get to see how the process actually works. The information gets revealed slowly for the first half and really well until you get the introduction of Him, the one who is controlling everything. His perspective provides a lot of context, though it’s a little jarring to get that second perspective so suddenly and without any indication. It helps to make sense of what’s happening beyond our lead, which is important because she does not ultimately find out much.
I don’t think this is a detriment because there’s a lot about it that feels unsettling because of the way the information is distributed. Things are not neatly wrapped up. I do like that not all is well at the end. The story ends, we know why, but the character relationships aren’t all brought to a satisfying conclusion and it feels uncomfortably realistic that it wouldn’t all wrap up nicely in the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed it! It’s a quick read with some interesting ideas. If you’re also interested in true crime and cults, this Is a fun read.