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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Wow.
If you like the inner workings of how a cult works that doesn't get too gruesome but gives you the general gist of how one works... please read this book.
Very eye-opening at what goes on behind a cult, the brainwashing that takes place, and the absolute Stockholm syndrome and other trauma that becomes of the cult member and the cult member's family.
Content topics:
- Cult
- Religion
- Pregnancy
- Abuse
- Mental games
If you like the inner workings of how a cult works that doesn't get too gruesome but gives you the general gist of how one works... please read this book.
Very eye-opening at what goes on behind a cult, the brainwashing that takes place, and the absolute Stockholm syndrome and other trauma that becomes of the cult member and the cult member's family.
Content topics:
- Cult
- Religion
- Pregnancy
- Abuse
- Mental games
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ahhhh. Cults are baddddd things that normal people just get sucked into. I totally would have rated higher if the story would have ended with more. There was so much that could have come after the shock dropped at the end.
KU
Nossa! Esse livro é perfeito, assim como The Family Upstairs, para ver como a pessoa fica imersa em um culto e a maneira que isso afeta/aliena sua vida. Kate tem uma família perfeita e o emprego dos sonhos como editora, até que é chamada para fazer uma matéria sobre o grupo Love Internacional. Ela fica tão envolvida pelo que o líder, parecido com o Tom Cruise, fala que larga o marido e a filha Abbi para seguir com o grupo. Havia um pensamento idealizado sobre isso, mas acaba sendo o oposto, precisa dormir no chão, pouca comida e bebida, pessoas sendo mortas, casamento comunitário com o líder... uma loucura. Ela percebe tudo isso, mas acaba se deixando envolver pelas palavras do líder, até que nasce sua filha Shalon e seu guia/marido decide que ela precisará renunciar à menina daqui a um tempo. Ela foge, fica com sua família anterior, mesmo com a atual esposa do marido desconfiada. E o que acontece é o seguinte.... Kate realmente queria se ver livre do culto, mas se arrependeu da fuga. Pede que o guia a perdoe e a aceite de volta, mas ele quer Abbi em troca. Ela aceita, leva a menina a ele e a polícia, que havia colocado escutas, achando que o guia ia entrar em contato, a salva e prende Kate. Shalon possivelmente irá para a adoção. O guia, de família muito rica, é solto.
Not Lucinda’s best work. Predictable twist but still mildly entertaining.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
When She Returned is my second Lucinda Berry novel to date and, once again, I am in awe of her skill as a writer! Lucinda Berry is a former Psychologist and her wealth of experience in this field really shines through in her writing, notably in this book, where she explores themes of self-discovery, cult mentality, indoctrination, and blind devotion to an ideology.
When She Returned follows a woman called Kate Bennett, who reappears with a baby in tow, 11-years after vanishing without a trace from a Supermarket Car Park, leaving behind her devoted husband Scott and her young daughter Abbi. Kate shows signs of prolonged abuse and her reappearance throws her family in to turmoil, notably as Scott is now married to a widower named Meredith. As the events surrounding Kate's disappearance are gradually unearthed, we begin to learn the sinister and shocking truth.
When She Returned had me hooked from the very first page, and I finished it in just two sittings. Lucinda Berry makes great use of dual timelines and alternating perspectives to establish the chain of events surrounding Kate's disappearance, exploring themes of identity & self-realisation along the way.
The point of view in this novel flits seamlessly from Kate in the past (the events surrounding her disappearance), to Meredith and Abbi in the present. This made for a fascinating yet emotional read, as I found myself conflicted: On the one hand, I was overjoyed for Abbi and Scott, but on the other, my heart ached for Meredith, a wonderful, kind and selfless woman, who supported Scott through his grief, but has always lived in Kate's shadow.
At the start of the novel, prior to her disappearance, Kate appears to have a picture-perfect life. She has just returned to her Journalistic post following a period of maternity leave and is planning an exposé of Love International, an organisation devoted to helping people achieve sobriety and recovery from addiction. The enigmatic nature of this organisation has led to speculation that they may be a Cult, though Kate is quick to dismiss this as small-town mentality, with people naturally fearing something they do not know.
Love International is helmed by the handsome, charming, charismatic Ray Fischer, and his perceptive nature and astute insights into Kate's current inertia lead her to question her own life choices, both in terms of her picture-perfect marriage and lack of personal growth.
"The problem with having a fairy-tale relationship story was how much other people were invested in keeping the fairytale alive. It wasn't just our story, it was everyone's"
"I don't know who I am without him. I've always wondered who I might be on my own. But I feel like the world's most terrible person for even having the thoughts"
Whilst her husband Scott is supportive of Kate's efforts to grow and change, Kate becomes increasingly irked by his reluctance to evolve with her...
"But I wanted him to grow and change, experience new things too. His contentment with sameness was more maddening the older I got. How could we live our lives based on decisions we'd made when we were seventeen"
I truly loved the complexity of the characters in this book, as I think we've all struggled to understand who we are as an individual, outside of our job or our marriage, at some point in our adult life. This novel is Psychology-laden and I absolutely adored the richness this added to the story! This book has rapidly become one of my all-time favourite Psychological Thrillers and I'm so glad I I chose to do an immersive read on this occasion (listening to the Audiobook whilst reading the Physical book) as the audiobook is so well done and really adds to the suspense and uneasiness.
All in all, this was an easy five-star read for me. When She Returned is truly a fast-paced, page-turner and the momentum builds to a shocking conclusion, with lots of suspense, intrigue and horrifying developments along the way! I would highly recommend this books to fans of propulsive, engaging Psychological Thrillers, with complex characters you both love and love to hate.
When She Returned follows a woman called Kate Bennett, who reappears with a baby in tow, 11-years after vanishing without a trace from a Supermarket Car Park, leaving behind her devoted husband Scott and her young daughter Abbi. Kate shows signs of prolonged abuse and her reappearance throws her family in to turmoil, notably as Scott is now married to a widower named Meredith. As the events surrounding Kate's disappearance are gradually unearthed, we begin to learn the sinister and shocking truth.
When She Returned had me hooked from the very first page, and I finished it in just two sittings. Lucinda Berry makes great use of dual timelines and alternating perspectives to establish the chain of events surrounding Kate's disappearance, exploring themes of identity & self-realisation along the way.
The point of view in this novel flits seamlessly from Kate in the past (the events surrounding her disappearance), to Meredith and Abbi in the present. This made for a fascinating yet emotional read, as I found myself conflicted: On the one hand, I was overjoyed for Abbi and Scott, but on the other, my heart ached for Meredith, a wonderful, kind and selfless woman, who supported Scott through his grief, but has always lived in Kate's shadow.
At the start of the novel, prior to her disappearance, Kate appears to have a picture-perfect life. She has just returned to her Journalistic post following a period of maternity leave and is planning an exposé of Love International, an organisation devoted to helping people achieve sobriety and recovery from addiction. The enigmatic nature of this organisation has led to speculation that they may be a Cult, though Kate is quick to dismiss this as small-town mentality, with people naturally fearing something they do not know.
Love International is helmed by the handsome, charming, charismatic Ray Fischer, and his perceptive nature and astute insights into Kate's current inertia lead her to question her own life choices, both in terms of her picture-perfect marriage and lack of personal growth.
"The problem with having a fairy-tale relationship story was how much other people were invested in keeping the fairytale alive. It wasn't just our story, it was everyone's"
"I don't know who I am without him. I've always wondered who I might be on my own. But I feel like the world's most terrible person for even having the thoughts"
Whilst her husband Scott is supportive of Kate's efforts to grow and change, Kate becomes increasingly irked by his reluctance to evolve with her...
"But I wanted him to grow and change, experience new things too. His contentment with sameness was more maddening the older I got. How could we live our lives based on decisions we'd made when we were seventeen"
I truly loved the complexity of the characters in this book, as I think we've all struggled to understand who we are as an individual, outside of our job or our marriage, at some point in our adult life. This novel is Psychology-laden and I absolutely adored the richness this added to the story! This book has rapidly become one of my all-time favourite Psychological Thrillers and I'm so glad I I chose to do an immersive read on this occasion (listening to the Audiobook whilst reading the Physical book) as the audiobook is so well done and really adds to the suspense and uneasiness.
All in all, this was an easy five-star read for me. When She Returned is truly a fast-paced, page-turner and the momentum builds to a shocking conclusion, with lots of suspense, intrigue and horrifying developments along the way! I would highly recommend this books to fans of propulsive, engaging Psychological Thrillers, with complex characters you both love and love to hate.
medium-paced
this was good, it wasn’t super shocking at the end but the story kept me interested and i liked the dual timelines it was told in
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes