Dark Messiah
In the summer of 1976, fifteen-year-old Nell and her mother, Faye, first attend a service at the Temple of God’s Love Everlasting and meet its leader, a charismatic man who goes by the name Dad. Drawn in by the promise of a fresh start and a new “family,” they are impressed by the group’s mission to spread peace and love through charitable works. But as Dad slowly descends into paranoia and the abuses of power and lies begin to build up, the utopian world created by the group turns into a living hell.
Getting a reader to understand why a character would join a cult is difficult. Everyone would like to think that would never happen to them; they would be too savvy to be drawn in. But the author creates two sympathetic characters in Faye and Nell. Faye is a seeker, looking to forget her numerous regrets. Nell is highly intelligent and skeptical yet emotionally vulnerable, and the reader can see how Dad gradually brings the two women in by exploiting their past trauma. It is also clear that the author did extensive research on cults because she expertly shows how Dad uses techniques like isolation, breaking up families, withholding food, sleep deprivation, and corporal punishment to control his followers.
The story is reminiscent of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple, down to the fictional Concordia, a town the group carves out in a South American jungle, promising religious freedom, racial equality, and no government control. Though clearly rooted in the 1970s, the events described could happen at any time, which adds to the story’s power—a chilling, deeply disturbing, and fascinating read.
