Title: The Followers
Author: Rebecca Wait
Originally Published: 2015
Page Count: 335 pages
Genre: Fiction
Published by: Picador
Date Read: July 1 - September 10 2015
I was lucky enough to win this books in one of Goodreads' giveaways back in May. I was intrigued by the synopsis, as the book centres around two characters, a mother and a daughter, who leave their life behind to join a cult in the Yorkshire moors. I have a kind of guilty pleasure for films about cults, I won't name names because that could be a spoiler for the film, but there's always been something about them that intrigues me.
The novel is basically the synopsis, we follow the mother (Stephanie) and daughter (Judith), as they adapt to life in this religious cult, headed by the 'Prophet'. Whilst Stephanie is under the charms of the Prophet, Judith is more rebellious. Judith questions everything that is happening and continues to rebel against the cult's practices. The narrative has a steady pace, but with it giving glimpses to life after the cult (referred to as the ark), we gain a sense of the plot building to some upset.
I don't want to say too much in regards to plot, but to be honest there isn't much else I can say. The novel is a measly 335 pages, and whilst that may be a fair size for some books, for what happens in The Followers it really isn't. Whilst the events on the ark dominate the story, we continue to flit towards the events after, and to be honest the events after kind of felt redundant. The 'after' sections don't add anything really, it is just one character's mundane life. I wanted more if we were going to bother following their journey after the ark.
Overall, Wait writes in a very accessible style. There's no overly complex narrative, and the prose is solid. It feels to me that Wait is at the beginning of her career, and this is an experiment with her craft, with her style and her structure, something which she will no doubt develop overtime. This book is nothing groundbreaking in its genre, but it is an easy, fine read.
★★★☆☆
I was lucky enough to win this books in one of Goodreads' giveaways back in May. I was intrigued by the synopsis, as the book centres around two characters, a mother and a daughter, who leave their life behind to join a cult in the Yorkshire moors. I have a kind of guilty pleasure for films about cults, I won't name names because that could be a spoiler for the film, but there's always been something about them that intrigues me.
The novel is basically the synopsis, we follow the mother (Stephanie) and daughter (Judith), as they adapt to life in this religious cult, headed by the 'Prophet'. Whilst Stephanie is under the charms of the Prophet, Judith is more rebellious. Judith questions everything that is happening and continues to rebel against the cult's practices. The narrative has a steady pace, but with it giving glimpses to life after the cult (referred to as the ark), we gain a sense of the plot building to some upset.
I don't want to say too much in regards to plot, but to be honest there isn't much else I can say. The novel is a measly 335 pages, and whilst that may be a fair size for some books, for what happens in The Followers it really isn't. Whilst the events on the ark dominate the story, we continue to flit towards the events after, and to be honest the events after kind of felt redundant. The 'after' sections don't add anything really, it is just one character's mundane life. I wanted more if we were going to bother following their journey after the ark.
Overall, Wait writes in a very accessible style. There's no overly complex narrative, and the prose is solid. It feels to me that Wait is at the beginning of her career, and this is an experiment with her craft, with her style and her structure, something which she will no doubt develop overtime. This book is nothing groundbreaking in its genre, but it is an easy, fine read.
★★★☆☆
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