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The Followers

Rebecca Wait (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 617 ratings · 96 reviews

On the windswept moors of northern England, a small religious cult has cut itself off from society, believing they have found meaning in a purposeless world. Led by their prophet, Nathaniel, they eagerly await the end times. But when the prophet brings in Stephanie and her rebellious daughter Judith, the group’s delicate dynamic is disturbed. Judith is determined to escape ...more

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Paperback, 340 pages

Published April 21st 2016 by Picador (first published May 21st 2015)

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Oct 02, 2014 Blair rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-on-kindle, past-and-present, cults-communes-captivity, 2015-release

The Followers centres on Stephanie and Judith, a thirtysomething single mother and her 12-year-old daughter stuck in a mundane cycle of life in a small Northern town. Stephanie is working in a drab café and struggling to make ends meet when she meets a handsome, charismatic man called Nathaniel. The impact of their ensuing relationship is life-changing for her, and so she allows herself to be manipulated into joining the Ark, a religious group he is a part of. With no belief in gods or God, Step The Followers centres on Stephanie and Judith, a thirtysomething single mother and her 12-year-old daughter stuck in a mundane cycle of life in a small Northern town. Stephanie is working in a drab café and struggling to make ends meet when she meets a handsome, charismatic man called Nathaniel. The impact of their ensuing relationship is life-changing for her, and so she allows herself to be manipulated into joining the Ark, a religious group he is a part of. With no belief in gods or God, Stephanie's motivation for going along with this is her love for Nathaniel and the injection of happiness and interest he has brought her: it says much about his motives that he doesn't care. When Stephanie and Judith go to Nathaniel's remote home on the moors, they find he is in fact the leader of this dour clique, who refer to him always as 'the prophet'. Soon after, they also learn they will never be able to leave. While Stephanie attempts to embrace her new life, Judith rebels, but since The Followers opens with Stephanie in prison, we already know it's she who will pay the ultimate price for their involvement with the Ark.

While the promise of a story about a cult - an endlessly fascinating topic - is what made me want to read this (and read it quickly), I ended up being more interested in the detail than the bigger picture. Wait excels at the kind of bleak ordinariness that Jenn Ashworth does well: the horror of it, but also the beauty to be found in it, most palpable in the contrast between Stephanie and Judith's prior life and their existence in the Ark. What seem like banalities in the 'real world' become much-missed home comforts once their austere new life begins. They seem to have a lack of ties to their old home, but this is revealed as an illusion as soon as they are separated from it. Judith's life in the later sections of the narrative - now in her twenties, she's depressed and caught in a cycle of addiction, getting drunk at work and taking handfuls of prescription pills - creates a similar contrast, this time with the aim of showing how her childhood experiences and her mother's incarceration have shaped the rest of her life. (view spoiler)

Meanwhile, the Ark itself was the falling-down point for me. The sheer amount of time it's survived without anyone questioning it (there are children Judith's age who were born there and have never seen anything of the outside world) or it being discovered. How is it financed? A couple of the men go out to work, but would that really be enough to sustain a whole community, including six or seven kids? (While the adult Ark members share duties like cooking, it doesn't seem they grow their own vegetables, farm their own meat, or make their own clothes.) Have none of them ever had to go to a doctor for anything? The more you think about it, the more it falls apart. The years these events are supposed to take place aren't pinpointed exactly, but in the 'past' narrative, before Stephanie and Judith join the group, they're watching DVDs and buying things on the internet, so the setting, time period-wise, is obviously very up-to-date. That adds to the unlikeliness of the Ark remaining hidden; I can appreciate, though, that stranger things have been known to happen in real life.

I simply wanted to know more - more about the Ark's beginnings, more about Nathaniel's background and how he became the figure we meet in the main story. The children's viewpoints began to annoy me towards the end, as I longed for a more sophisticated take on the 'liberation' of the Ark. This was a good story with some really strong details, but it just felt too light to do justice to the questions raised in its examination of the mentality of cult members. ...more

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Oct 25, 2017 switterbug (Betsey) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Followers is a not-so-subtle allegory on its surface, but the nuanced characters and telltale story by British writer Wait keeps it contemporary, fresh, and provocative. It begins now, with a young woman, Judith, reluctantly visiting her mother, Stephanie, in prison. It’s evident that this is an ongoing yet uncomfortable face-to-face, where the conversation stays safe with topics of movies and books. At home, Judith isolates and chooses unhealthy habits in order to escape from the memories o The Followers is a not-so-subtle allegory on its surface, but the nuanced characters and telltale story by British writer Wait keeps it contemporary, fresh, and provocative. It begins now, with a young woman, Judith, reluctantly visiting her mother, Stephanie, in prison. It’s evident that this is an ongoing yet uncomfortable face-to-face, where the conversation stays safe with topics of movies and books. At home, Judith isolates and chooses unhealthy habits in order to escape from the memories of childhood—specifically what landed her mother in prison. Throughout the tale of this mother/daughter relationship, the narrative goes back and forth to the past and the present. The future of their recovery is at stake, and we feel it with a brittle intensity.

Stephanie raised Judith as a single mother, protective but tired from work, trying to be mother and father simultaneously but feeling a failure at that. Stephanie’s friction with her own mother is cutting enough, but Judith, a fun-loving fan of popular culture, accuses her mother of not listening to her—ever.

When Stephanie falls for an intense, inscrutable man named Nathaniel and brings him home to meet Judith, the conflicts escalate. Nathaniel convinces Stephanie to leave mainstream society and join the “Ark,” a religious cult high on the moors and devoted to God. A number of adults and children live there and Nathaniel is the charismatic leader.

A distressed Judith unwillingly joins her mother at the Ark as Stephanie is so besotted by Nathaniel, “the prophet,” she is willing to remove herself from society and follow the Old Testament mores, even though she herself is more agnostic. And then—nothing—not Nathaniel, the creed, or the lifestyle is what it seemed from the outset. The precarious equilibrium with no more substance than a house of cards, but while you’re in it, you believe.

Wait does a superb job of creating the atmosphere of the Ark, archaic and implacable, with a haunting reminder of isolation from the moors. All the members must change their names to biblical ones, and the laws of the dogma require unconditional subservience. Technology is limited, and the women spend their days cooking and cleaning, while some of the men leave to work in “Gehenna,”—their name for the outside world that Judith and Stephanie have left. Judith finds solace in Moses, a boy around her age who was born with what is evident as a port wine stain on his face, but which the prophet has denoted a mark of the devil due to the story of his birth. He helps Judith to adjust to the Ark, and she edifies him about so-called Gehenna, a place he’s never been because he was born at the Ark. They form a close bond and have a secret meeting place where they talk and learn a sense of real play and unrestricted dialogue.

The pacing and sense of foreshadowing is palpable and purposeful, as of course we know from the start that Stephanie is in prison. The foreboding sense of tragedy is in every shadow and in every corner of the Ark, and I was on edge while Wait brilliantly built the architecture of the story toward its cataclysmic climax. As Stephanie’s hopefulness turns to despair, she realizes too late that she made wrong decisions in trying to remake herself in the image that Nathaniel demanded.

“Your thoughts are wicked from the day you were born,” says the prophet, Nathaniel. The followers live in grim sacrifice and bare necessities, ingrained with the paradigm of good and evil, blood for atonement, and punishment for violations. Being human, possessing desires is judged by the prophet and everyone else is a follower. The suspense, survival, and hope for reclamation will keep us fastened till the very last page. ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Jill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What would cause a normal person to lose all sense of individuality and right and wrong, and slavishly follow a charismatic leader? From the Manson murders to the Jonestown tragedy, we’ve seen the magnetic pull of the cult on those with porous boundaries, yet still, the topic is fascinating. Perhaps that’s why novelists – from Margaret Atwood to Claire Vaye Watkins – gravitate to the subject.

Rebecca Wait goes back to this well in The Followers—vividly and convincingly spinning a cautionary tale ...more

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Jun 09, 2015 Fiona rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

This story of a small religious cult, known as the Ark, in a remote moorland setting is interesting enough, though the inevitable ending is so clear from the start that when the 'shock' comes it isn't too shocking. Some of it felt underwritten - the writing is a bit sparse at times, and I would have liked more detail of the lives of the cult followers, more insight into how it feels to devote yourself so totally that you lose your sense of who you are, more sense of the charisma of the leader - ...more

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Jul 12, 2015 Bill Kupersmith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: me-emma, five-stars-in-2015

There is, of course, a religious death cult that is attracting lots of followers in Britain today, but it has no connexion with Christianity. I’d have thought there was about as much need in contemporary England for warnings against Christian cults as for fire insurance in February 2014 in the Somerset Levels. But even before reading the author’s afterword I’d a sense that she’d once had a brush with something of the sort, and I thought The Followers was an excellent depiction of the psychology There is, of course, a religious death cult that is attracting lots of followers in Britain today, but it has no connexion with Christianity. I’d have thought there was about as much need in contemporary England for warnings against Christian cults as for fire insurance in February 2014 in the Somerset Levels. But even before reading the author’s afterword I’d a sense that she’d once had a brush with something of the sort, and I thought The Followers was an excellent depiction of the psychology not just of the victim of a cult, but of any of us who might be enmeshed in a group of true believers, even if not as bizarre & lethal as the People’s Temple, the Branch Davidians, or Heaven’s Gate. As the 13 year-old Judith, the only sceptic @ The Ark, finds, ‘it was harder to hold on to all your normal thoughts when everyone around you believed something different.’ I thought her mother Stephanie was a very believable portrait of an ideal recruit, an abandoned single mum with a poor self-image, an uncertain & unfulfilling job, & no intellectual or spiritual formation.

I’d found Rebecca Wait’s previous book The View on the Way Down a moving but slowly developing study in what happens to ordinary people dealing with unrequited grief. Here too the story takes its time to unfold & till to nearly 1/2 way I wasn’t sure I’d made a good choice. But then I was grabbed & had to stay in all day to find out how it would finish. We know from the beginning that Stephanie will commit a murder, but who will she kill & why? The book moves back & forth between the present, when Stephanie is in prison, & the past when she was a member of the cult & known as Sarah. The present 22 y/o Judith also offers a fascinating counterpoint to her earlier brash confident teenage self. I also loved the brave Jess, alias Esther.

Some reviewers had trouble believing that this story could happen in real life in contemporary Britain. Personally, I doubt practical details matter all that much. Rebecca Wait is a guide to the inner selves of her characters & knows that however unpretentious & drab they may appear on the surface, they can haunt us. I shall continue to ponder how a book that ought to make for a depressing read left me feeling so happy that I had read it. ...more

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May 11, 2015 Victoria Goldman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

As soon as I heard about The Followers, I was desperate to read it. Religious cults are a fascinating topic and I'm a big fan of the TV series The Following.

When struggling single mum Stephanie meets Nathaniel, she is sucked deep into his world, along with her 12-year-old daughter Judith. Moving into his small village in the Yorkshire moorlands, little did any of them know that life will never be the same again.

The Followers grabbed my attention from the first page, as 22-year-old Judith visits ...more

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Sep 15, 2017 Blue Cypress Books rated it liked it · review of another edition

Wasn't blown away by the story but very much appreciated the sensitivity and authenticity the author brought to what could have been an unoriginal story of cult followers and their leader. ...more

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Jun 17, 2016 Bookread2day rated it liked it · review of another edition

Rebecca Wait is certainly not afraid to tackle a difficult fiction topic about love and faith.

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Nov 15, 2017 ElphaReads rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-list-2017, literary, end-of-days-dystopia

Boy oh boy do I love a good cult story. Much like true crime and serial killers, the dark psychology behind cults and the control they exert upon their members has always interested me. So when I heard about THE FOLLOWERS by Rebecca Wait thanks to a New York Times book article, I knew that I wanted to read it. It took a bit, but it finally came up for me on request at the library. I sat down this past weekend intending to start it, and then I ended up reading the whole darn thing in an afternoon Boy oh boy do I love a good cult story. Much like true crime and serial killers, the dark psychology behind cults and the control they exert upon their members has always interested me. So when I heard about THE FOLLOWERS by Rebecca Wait thanks to a New York Times book article, I knew that I wanted to read it. It took a bit, but it finally came up for me on request at the library. I sat down this past weekend intending to start it, and then I ended up reading the whole darn thing in an afternoon. Yes, it is that engrossing. But along with the thrills and tension, there was another story within it's pages about family, friendship, and trauma.

When Stephanie meets Nathanial at the coffee shop she works at, she thinks that she's the luckiest woman in the world. A single mother with low self esteem, Stephanie has never thought that she'd find someone who appreciates all sides of her. So when Nathanial starts wooing her, she thinks that her dreams have come true. Nathanial convinces her to pack up her life and her teenage daughter Judith and go live in the English moors with him and his commune, where he is a prophet and soldier for God. While Stephanie falls deeper and deeper under his spell, Judith becomes more and more rebellious and concerned. The tip in the balance at the commune starts a chain reaction that leads to violence and tragedy.

Like I said, this book totally sucked me in and did not let me go until I was finished with it. But it wasn't really because of the cult aspect. Well, a large part of it was, but I also really got attached to the characters in this book. It flips between the time that Stephanie and Judith were part of the group, to the life afterwards, where Judith is an adult and trying to cope with her trauma and her now imprisoned mother (for what, we have to read to find out). Both Judith and Stephanie are written in such ways that they are completely believable in their actions, and sympathetic even when they are making terrible decisions. I had a hard time with Stephanie, a woman who basically sacrifices her daughter's and her well being because a manipulative sociopath convinced her too, but at the same time I totally understand how she could do such a thing. I also liked that Judith has long lasting effects of her time in the cult, and that she isn't perfect or left unscathed. But my favorite character of all was one that I wasn't expecting, and that is Moses, the boy that Judith befriends while in the commune. He was raised in this group, and is a full on believer, but he is not immune to the abuse that Nathanial heaps upon his followers. Moses and Judith are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum, but they both learn from each other, and forge a friendship that is lovely and bittersweet. Seeing the various levels of belief in Nathanial within Moses (true believer), Stephanie (new believer), and Judith (non believer) lets us see how faith can affect different people. It's a slow burn to tragedy, and while you know that something terrible is going to happen, you are still kind of caught off guard by how terrible it is (no spoilers here!). I quite enjoyed how Wait built up to it and gave us insights into the human condition and the complexities of family while she did so.

THE FOLLOWERS is a dark and yet somewhat hopeful book, and I can't recommend it enough to those who are interested in the subject of cults. You will sate your interest in it, but also get a well written literary tale as well. ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Eric rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this novel.

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Oct 22, 2018 Judi Mckay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A slow start but I ended up enjoying this immensely and I’m looking forward to a great reading group discussion about it.

742

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Sep 22, 2017 Corey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Review to come at memphisflyer.com

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Oct 22, 2017 Carol rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 perhaps...a bit predictable and anti-climactic.

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Jul 06, 2020 Traci D'antonio rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Dammmmn! This book knocked my socks off.

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Apr 29, 2015 Maya Panika rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A compelling and absorbing tale of a woman's slow absorption into an isolated religious cult and her daughter's lonely, internal, un-realised rebellion against her mother, the cult, and its charismatic, egoistic leader, the sinister Nathaniel.
The story begins with twenty-two year old Judith's prison visits to her all-too normal mother. They discuss the films they have seen, birthdays, domestic details. They never talk about why Judith's mum is in prison, about The Ark and the rapid descent into A compelling and absorbing tale of a woman's slow absorption into an isolated religious cult and her daughter's lonely, internal, un-realised rebellion against her mother, the cult, and its charismatic, egoistic leader, the sinister Nathaniel.
The story begins with twenty-two year old Judith's prison visits to her all-too normal mother. They discuss the films they have seen, birthdays, domestic details. They never talk about why Judith's mum is in prison, about The Ark and the rapid descent into madness, bloodshed and violence. When her mum says 'see you next month', Judith replies 'of course'. She has been coming for eight years. She might fantasise about never coming again, leaving the past behind - and the alcohol, and the numbing drugs - and making a new life for herself, but somehow never seems able to take that step.
The narrative then takes us back in time. Judith is about thirteen, her single-mother Stephanie is working in a cafe when she first meets Nathaniel. Nathaniel seems to be the object of every woman's fancy, though Judith can never quite see his allure, how he maintains his hold on others. She never feels the dark charisma that has persuaded a group of intelligent adults to throw up their lives and give everything - including their bodies and wombs in the case of the females - to Nathaniel. There are children too, all born in the cult, none have ever left The Ark's three wind-battered buildings on the moors. Some of these children are Nathaniel's and now Nathaniel wants more.
Judith hates The Ark. All she wants to do is leave. Her only friend there is Moses, a boy spurned by the other children because his face is stained with a birthmark: the mark of the devil.
The cult itself is something of a mystery and probably the weakest part of the tale. How does one man exert such glamour he is able to rule a band of intelligent adults so effectively and completely? Nathaniel is a little like Jim Jones, David Koresh, Charles Manson - men who exert absolute control through force of personality. It's a difficult concept, hard to understand for anyone who has not experienced it (and so few who have ever live to tell their tale). It's very hard to convey in a novel - I don't think I've ever seen it done entirely convincingly, but this almost works. I almost believed in Nathaniel.
Written in a sparse, dry, gripping style, Rebecca Wait's story burns slowly but is never less than utterly compelling as it reaches its appalling conclusion and fallout - which surprised me; I thought I had it figured out and I was wrong. Start to finish, I was riveted.
...more

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Feb 05, 2016 Olivia DiGiammarino rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Olivia by: Sanne | Booksandquills

Holy crap. This book was amazing and I am so glad that I ordered it from The Book Depository. For some reason I couldn't find it in Canada. Anyway, you are taken into this mediocre world where life is static and struggling to be static at that. The main character Stephanie seems not to be living for anything or anyone (including her daughter Judith). That's when we're introduced to Nathaniel, the prophet and the leader of the Ark. I definitely don't want to spoil the plot, but what I found so fa Holy crap. This book was amazing and I am so glad that I ordered it from The Book Depository. For some reason I couldn't find it in Canada. Anyway, you are taken into this mediocre world where life is static and struggling to be static at that. The main character Stephanie seems not to be living for anything or anyone (including her daughter Judith). That's when we're introduced to Nathaniel, the prophet and the leader of the Ark. I definitely don't want to spoil the plot, but what I found so fascinating was how believable Nathaniel's personality was. He was tender, calming and reassuring and these character traits are what allow him to be so trusted by 'the followers' in the Ark.

I thought this book was haunting. I was definitely creeped out the entire week that I was reading this book, and it really allowed me to reflect on some of my personal ideas of faith and fellowship. I really enjoyed both voices of Judith negatively reacting to the expectation to follow blindly. This voice opposed to to Stephanie (Sarah's) deep comfort in having someone to make the decisions for her. I found it really haunting when free will, fear and herd mentality started to intertwine.

Some things that fell flat were the landscape and location. I enjoyed the description of the landscape, but I thought the book could have been more effective if it was left without a specific geographical location. I kept imagining the setting being in the midwest or even the south of the United States and then I'd randomly be shifted back to the UK. Since the city and specific geographic locations are not mentioned often, I would have preferred if they were omitted all together. Also, I felt like the construction of the book was interesting, but also a bit confusing. There were "before" and "after" narratives that I quite enjoyed, but then there were also divides almost like acts of a play, and I felt both of that organization to be overkill.

If this was a movie I would cast : Joaquin Phoenix as Nathaniel, Amy Adams as Stephanie and Jennifer Goodwin as Esther. ...more

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Jul 19, 2017 Inge rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Followers (Rebecca Wait)

Imagine Stephanie, a bored mother, limited by lack of education and responsibility towards her twelve year old daughter, Judith. Further Stephanie is burdened with a poor relationship with her mother and a lack of friends in the new town in which she now lives.

Stephanie makes her a living as waitress, yet is unfulfilled, bound by routine and poor finances.
Enter into her life a charismatic man, Nathaniel. Stephanie falls for his compliments, enjoys his company, has a f The Followers (Rebecca Wait)

Imagine Stephanie, a bored mother, limited by lack of education and responsibility towards her twelve year old daughter, Judith. Further Stephanie is burdened with a poor relationship with her mother and a lack of friends in the new town in which she now lives.

Stephanie makes her a living as waitress, yet is unfulfilled, bound by routine and poor finances.
Enter into her life a charismatic man, Nathaniel. Stephanie falls for his compliments, enjoys his company, has a fulfilling sexual relationship with him and is convinced she is giving her daughter a new lease on life when she decides to join him in his solitary community on the windswept moores.

Judith however, disliked Nathaniel from the start. Now she is immediately suspicious of the Ark's activities. She relentlessly questions twelve year old Moses who is fascinated by the first person he meets from Gehanna (the outside world) where the devil's influence is supposed to be rife. His childish explanations of the Ark's activities introduce the reader to the extreme ways of cult life. Truly frightening.

Needlessly to say, a sacrifice is made which horrifies a loyal cult member to such an extent that she secretly escapes. Eventually the police move in and dismantle the Ark. Stephanie is jailed and Judith religiously (excuse the pun) visits her mother in jail. Thus Judith's odd life is disrupted even more. Towards the end of the book, a small ray of light appears when she eventually is reunited with Moses who was her constant companion in the Ark.

The reader is left knowing that a person without social support, qualifications/skills or finances, is a sitting duck for flattery, manipulation, even prone to religious fanaticism.

Rebecca Wait depicts each stage of a follower's downfall with much skill. One even has sympathy for the naïve Stephanie, cheers the rebellious Judith on, detests the manipulative Nathan and admires the awakening of Moses to a new reality.

The Followers is a good read (which could earn Ms Wait four stars) on an awful topic (which I rate three stars). ...more

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Dec 04, 2017 Cow rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Having a great indie neighbourhood bookstore is already paying dividends in getting me to read books I might not have looked twice at. The Followers is about a single mom and her daughter who fall into a very insulated cult on a cold, rocky part of the coast of England, just as that cult is starting to fly apart at the seams. It's told alternating between 'present' -- with the mom and daughter, after the cult ends -- and 'past', the story of those final days of the group.

It's engaging and well-w ...more

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Jul 18, 2015 D Cox rated it it was ok · review of another edition

It was ok. A readable story.
It was very quick and not very challenging to read and I didn't feel invested in the characters. I couldn't understand how quickly and easily they were taken in by Nathaniel. Perhaps as a reader I should have been taken in too.

The book had potential but never quite hit it for me.

What I did like was the sense of rage I had on behalf of the characters.

It was an interesting morning but I don't think the book will stay with me. Could be good for people wanting a lighter ...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Nicola rated it liked it · review of another edition

Having read The View on the Way Down, I was excited to win a copy of The Followers on Goodreads giveaway.

As much of a page turner as Rebecca's last book, I found this a fascinating topic and enjoyed the tension building in the storyline.

I found that sometimes, I got confused on who was who in the Ark taking aside the main characters but this didn't distract from a superb read. ...more

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Jul 02, 2015 Sue Frances rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed Rebecca Wait's first book, A view On the Way Down and this book is equally as good if not better! My heart ached for Judith and Moses. What on earth was Stephanie \Sarah doing? I would love a follow up to this book. Will Stephanie be released and will Judith and Moses live happily ever after? I really hope so! ...more

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Jun 01, 2017 CuteBadger rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I won a bundle of 10 copies of this book from the published for my book club. The premise of the book sounded intriguing though had the potential to be challenging and I was surprised at how quick a read it turned out to be. I thought the characters were well-drawn and I liked the technique of changing narrators and hearing about events from the point of view of different people, though I was frustrated at times that I didn't know more about some of them. I found the events in the book disturbin ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is such a good read. You will be sucked in from the start. Of course, I am always fascinated by books about cults and what draws people into them. Stephanie falls for Nathaniel's charms because that is how he reels people in. But once you are living at the Ark, he is the prophet and what he says goes, even if that means punishing someone with death. (That scene had me in tears) Reading about Judith's progression from rather messed up girl to finding understanding really made the book even s ...more

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May 27, 2020 Lily Emerson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020

I have read a LOT of novels set in cults recently, and many of them have focused heavily on the relationships between mothers and daughters. This one has burned especially bright for me, though. Well paced, unforced, the writing feels natural and the characters organic. It proves that a plot doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel to be thrilling - that good writing & smart structuring will provide all the tension a reader needs. Judith and Moses both came alive for me and I felt I knew them intimate ...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Lisa Beaulieu rated it liked it · review of another edition

A sad cautionary tale of what isolation and lack of community, such as Stephanie experienced, can drive us to. I really thought how she fell into cult was well done, and how the connections, or lack of, doomed or, later saved, characters. I did feel overall it lacked heft, lots more I'd like to see covered . .. how Judith got from teens to where we meet her mid 20s, for instance. Overall I liked it. Quite heartbreaking too, but with a light at end of tunnel ending. ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Lisa rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 07, 2019 Maddie Cooper rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Stephanie falls in love and uproots her daughter Judith to go live with bae on his commune. Well, turns out the commune is a cult! Things get weird, then terrible, then deadly.

I’m obsessed with cults and loved how this book shows how easily someone could get involved, then totally sucked in. The extent of the trauma was perfectly captured through narration by adult Judith, with the bulk of the story told in flashbacks.

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Jan 06, 2021 Nancy Jones rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021

Absolutely brilliant!!!! 👏🏼 I hadn't read the synopsis on GoodReads, just the one on the back of the book. I didn't have any idea how this one was going to go - and it was fantastic! The plot builds steadily with a good pace, the characters weave their way into your hearts and you hate the villain more and more as you read; a sign of excellent writing! Just a wonderful book which I thoroughly recommend. ...more

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Jun 06, 2017 Tina Milledge rated it it was amazing

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Sep 14, 2017 Renika Jacobs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really good book.

This book made me laugh and cry and think. I feel so sorry for kids who are brought into a way of life that they never get a say in. Spirituality to me should be like food, you offer your kids the kind you like and know but let them chose which they prefer or want at all and be there to provide guidance and support.

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Rebecca Wait

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Rebecca Wait has been writing for as long as she can remember and has won numerous prizes for short stories and plays. She wrote The View on the Way Down in the evenings whilst working as a teaching assistant. The Followers is her second novel. Rebecca lives in London.