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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In the Clearing is a taut psychological thriller told from two perspectives. The first is that of Amy, a teenage girl who grows up in a cult, is totally loyal to the leader Adrienne who is known as mother, and has just participated in kidnapping a new member. The other perspective is that of Freya, a yoga teacher and single mother who lives with her young son on the edge of a national park. Freya lost custody of her older child, is extremely security conscious, almost paranoid and is not the most reliable narrator. Of course the two storylines eventually came together, and in a way I wasn’t initially expecting. Pomare excelled in his depictions of creepy cult vibes, the unquestioning almost robotic loyalty, the punishments to those who stepped out of line, and the control exerted by the leader. It was hard to listen to at times. The conditioning of the children and the way this lingered long after the demise of the cult was especially chilling. Learning that this fictional cult is based on an actual cult made it all the darker. Pomare is also a master of red herrings and plot twists of the believable rather than totally out of left field variety. The twist at the end was brilliant. Neither Freya nor Amy are warm or relatable, coming across as cold and detached. I know this bothered some readers, but to me in made sense in the context of their back stories and character arcs. I was first attracted to this books by the cult angle but it was Pomare’s storytelling, pacing and plot twists that kept me hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, and Kidnapping
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