Review of The Cult Next Door
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Carissa Ann
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Review of The Cult Next Door
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Cult Next Door" by Elizabeth R. Burchard, Judith L. Carlone.]
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth Burchard and Judith Carlone is a nauseating yet captivating story about Elizabeth’s experience with a local cult and her savior, Judith. Elizabeth starts by providing the reader with an in-depth retelling of her childhood, including her father’s early passing and her mother’s frequent visits to local health quacks. Elizabeth delves into the numerous health gurus and therapists her mother, Rachael, experimented with, always moving on to another. Until they met George, that is. Elizabeth, initially put off by him, quickly became enchanted by George during their first session. The sessions progressed into group meetings and became more frequent. George’s rates rose at barely affordable rates as well, causing Elizabeth and other members to hold off on some of their dreams to afford more sessions. The group continued to expand until Elizabeth and Judith crossed paths. After plenty of effort and time, Judith helped Elizabeth find the strength to leave the group and rebuild herself. Nevertheless, George had already taken unimaginable riches from Elizabeth.
Elizabeth provides extremely thorough descriptions that border on appalling in the case of George and his endeavors. These descriptions completely encapsulate the full essence of the characters in the story. Elizabeth and Judith weave their separate stories together beautifully to create a complete retelling of the cult. I love how Judith’s descriptions of George and his sessions both complement and contradict Elizabeth’s. Judith explains the negative energy radiating from the group sessions, while George and the cultists also feel that same energy but see it in a positive light. Judith and Elizabeth also describe similar brain fog, again explained through their opposing manners. I also appreciate the discussion questions that help finalize the reader’s ideas about the text. Finally, the book was expertly formatted. I enjoy that the story is broken into sections detailing where Elizabeth is on her journey as well as the chapters marking specific dates.
There were a few minor punctuation mistakes in the discussion questions; however, they did not distract from the text. Beyond this, I saw no negative aspects of the book.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The story is beautifully written in a haunting way. Elizabeth and Judith provide an elaborate retelling of the cult’s history and Elizabeth’s life before and after her time with George.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the dynamics behind cults. It is also appropriate for those curious about how a cult might form and who might join. If you aren’t sure if this book would be a good fit for you, I would suggest giving it a try. It might hit closer to home than you realize.
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The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Cult Next Door by Elizabeth Burchard and Judith Carlone is a nauseating yet captivating story about Elizabeth’s experience with a local cult and her savior, Judith. Elizabeth starts by providing the reader with an in-depth retelling of her childhood, including her father’s early passing and her mother’s frequent visits to local health quacks. Elizabeth delves into the numerous health gurus and therapists her mother, Rachael, experimented with, always moving on to another. Until they met George, that is. Elizabeth, initially put off by him, quickly became enchanted by George during their first session. The sessions progressed into group meetings and became more frequent. George’s rates rose at barely affordable rates as well, causing Elizabeth and other members to hold off on some of their dreams to afford more sessions. The group continued to expand until Elizabeth and Judith crossed paths. After plenty of effort and time, Judith helped Elizabeth find the strength to leave the group and rebuild herself. Nevertheless, George had already taken unimaginable riches from Elizabeth.
Elizabeth provides extremely thorough descriptions that border on appalling in the case of George and his endeavors. These descriptions completely encapsulate the full essence of the characters in the story. Elizabeth and Judith weave their separate stories together beautifully to create a complete retelling of the cult. I love how Judith’s descriptions of George and his sessions both complement and contradict Elizabeth’s. Judith explains the negative energy radiating from the group sessions, while George and the cultists also feel that same energy but see it in a positive light. Judith and Elizabeth also describe similar brain fog, again explained through their opposing manners. I also appreciate the discussion questions that help finalize the reader’s ideas about the text. Finally, the book was expertly formatted. I enjoy that the story is broken into sections detailing where Elizabeth is on her journey as well as the chapters marking specific dates.
There were a few minor punctuation mistakes in the discussion questions; however, they did not distract from the text. Beyond this, I saw no negative aspects of the book.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The story is beautifully written in a haunting way. Elizabeth and Judith provide an elaborate retelling of the cult’s history and Elizabeth’s life before and after her time with George.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the dynamics behind cults. It is also appropriate for those curious about how a cult might form and who might join. If you aren’t sure if this book would be a good fit for you, I would suggest giving it a try. It might hit closer to home than you realize.
******
The Cult Next Door
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
