Review of The Reverend Psychopath

[Pranav Dewangan]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Reverend Psychopath" by Dr Andrew Rynne.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The Reverend Psychopath by Dr. Andrew Rynne is a real story based in Ireland in 1880-1890s on the inhumane acts committed against little children in Caragh Orphanage under Reverand Cotton.

Reverend Samuel George Cotton and his wife Eliza, while in Kilberry, saw the potential for exploiting poor children by asking for charitable donations. They used the feel-good factor associated with donating to poor and helpless children. They exploited the proceeds from the opening of the Caragh Orphanage to fund their own luxurious way of life. They spent very little money on taking care of children. The children lived in inhumane conditions in the orphanage and, in some instances, were physically abused and even left to die as a punishment. 

The book is divided into 10 chapters, each describing the events in chronological order. The initial chapters contain early warnings about Cotton’s behavior and how it got started. Then the middle chapters contain the story of how he got caught and exposed. After the case is filed, all the remaining chapters cover courtroom trials one after the other until the conviction. What surprised me is that his wife was not found guilty after all the trials. And Reverand Cotton, despite being found guilty and sent to jail while he was out on bail, still physically abused two children before he was caught again. The punishment he got was not enough compared to the crime he committed. 

According to the author, two groups of people were responsible for what was happening with the children. One was Reverand Cotton and his wife. He can be described in today’s terms as having antisocial personality disorder. Another is the Church of Ireland’s ignorance and eventual cover-up by them, which is typical behavior even in today’s times. Church seniors had already warned about Cotton’s behavior to the Church of Ireland, which, if taken seriously, could have prevented Reverand Cotton and his wife from opening the orphanage.

What I liked about the book is that it’s bold and real. The book was well-researched, and it was a concise read. It exposes the coverup for most religious institutions that happens even in the present, because of which psychopaths like him thrive. It educates us about what is happening behind the scenes in some places and increases awareness among the people who are yet to be affected by it. 

The only drawback of the book may be the way the story is presented in the book. The events reported by the author could have been written more engagingly. A lot of stuff can be triggering for some, but it is essential to educate the readers about actual reality.

Despite the drawbacks, I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

I have given it 5 stars, as the drawback I have mentioned does not affect the reading experience much. This book serves as a much-needed wake-up call that our society needs. Everyone should read this book once to understand the history and possibly our present situations. I recommend this book for people interested in real-life story-based books that increase our awareness of the troubling things that are happening in the world. For the sake of humanity, this book deserves to become widely recognized. 

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The Reverend Psychopath
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