WOULD MAKE A GREAT HAUNTING MOVIE >>>>>
Husband and wife, three daughters, in white flowing clothes and carrying purifying salt in their hands, are isolated on an island to protect the women from a deadly plague carried by men. New Age survivalism has moved the group from family to cult with shifting rituals involving salt, iron, water, muslin, near-drowning, bonfires and the abuse of small animals.
Women suffering from the male-transmitted plague once made their way to this slowly collapsing resort to be cured. Why did the flow of women stop? Where did the stream of women go? (More practically, where does the hot and cold running water come from? How is the pool beautifully maintained?)
King disappears. And two men and a boy wash up on the beach. They either bring contagion with them or awaken it in the girls. In one week of alternating blinding hot glare and pouring rain, it all goes to hell....
CONCLUSION Unfortunately, the writing just wasn't there to make me care about even one of the characters. The plot seemed to be made up of one intriguing idea (a future where all men are toxic to all women) but then there was no back story as to how it began, what the first symptoms were, or how this "family" managed to have a man with them that did not make them sick enough to die. And the last 3 visitors were men who showed up. About halfway through, I was still baffled about the characters, I was hoping for an amazing twist at the end and kept reading. Another issue was all the girls spoke with the same voice. It highlighted their strange brainwashing at the hands of their parents. But made it a difficult read. In many ways, this world was like that of The Giver. It was isolated from the greater world with residents fed only as much information as they need to survive, but not thrive. Each is given different jobs and emotions are regulated by the leaders. This island most definitely operates as a cult and there are scenes of self-harm, masochism, drug use, miscarriage, and cult rituals. Even in this odd place, this isn't all normalized. If that makes sense.
After finishing the book, I have a sense of what the author was trying to convey, in her own brand of feminism. I don't think this meandering novel was the right way, or maybe I'm just not the right audience. Being taught to fear men, or hide away from the possibility of harm will not solve any problems of female violence or sexual politics. In my humble opinion, boys and girls should both be taught to respect and protect each other. But hey, what do I know?
Husband and wife, three daughters, in white flowing clothes and carrying purifying salt in their hands, are isolated on an island to protect the women from a deadly plague carried by men. New Age survivalism has moved the group from family to cult with shifting rituals involving salt, iron, water, muslin, near-drowning, bonfires and the abuse of small animals.
Women suffering from the male-transmitted plague once made their way to this slowly collapsing resort to be cured. Why did the flow of women stop? Where did the stream of women go? (More practically, where does the hot and cold running water come from? How is the pool beautifully maintained?)
King disappears. And two men and a boy wash up on the beach. They either bring contagion with them or awaken it in the girls. In one week of alternating blinding hot glare and pouring rain, it all goes to hell....
CONCLUSION Unfortunately, the writing just wasn't there to make me care about even one of the characters. The plot seemed to be made up of one intriguing idea (a future where all men are toxic to all women) but then there was no back story as to how it began, what the first symptoms were, or how this "family" managed to have a man with them that did not make them sick enough to die. And the last 3 visitors were men who showed up. About halfway through, I was still baffled about the characters, I was hoping for an amazing twist at the end and kept reading. Another issue was all the girls spoke with the same voice. It highlighted their strange brainwashing at the hands of their parents. But made it a difficult read. In many ways, this world was like that of The Giver. It was isolated from the greater world with residents fed only as much information as they need to survive, but not thrive. Each is given different jobs and emotions are regulated by the leaders. This island most definitely operates as a cult and there are scenes of self-harm, masochism, drug use, miscarriage, and cult rituals. Even in this odd place, this isn't all normalized. If that makes sense.
After finishing the book, I have a sense of what the author was trying to convey, in her own brand of feminism. I don't think this meandering novel was the right way, or maybe I'm just not the right audience. Being taught to fear men, or hide away from the possibility of harm will not solve any problems of female violence or sexual politics. In my humble opinion, boys and girls should both be taught to respect and protect each other. But hey, what do I know?
Grace, Lia, and Sky. Three sisters raised in their secluded home by Mother and King. Purposefully segregated away from the toxic world. While growing up they were subjected to rigorous therapies to keep their bodies in tip top shape to fight off any wayward toxin.
King has taken every precaution he can think of to keep the world away from his property and family. Barbed wire lines the forest, along with hidden traps. He's a man that takes care of his family. Creating new therapies as the girls grow. King makes trip to the mainland to restock on provisions, using a boat and the sea channel at the port just below the property.
This port is what used to bring women to the house. Battered and bruised, reeking with toxin from the world and carrying distrust toward any man. Mother would apply the therapies and King would be a presence in the corner of the room, while the girls spied on progress from the top of the stairs. Always present, never involved.
For the unsuspecting, this life is perfectly normal. What happens when there is a bump in the road? How do you deal with a feeling you have been forced to push away before your first steps? What happens when the last thing to come to the shore is a threat no one could have prepared for?
**Reviewer note** there are potential triggers in this book.
King has taken every precaution he can think of to keep the world away from his property and family. Barbed wire lines the forest, along with hidden traps. He's a man that takes care of his family. Creating new therapies as the girls grow. King makes trip to the mainland to restock on provisions, using a boat and the sea channel at the port just below the property.
This port is what used to bring women to the house. Battered and bruised, reeking with toxin from the world and carrying distrust toward any man. Mother would apply the therapies and King would be a presence in the corner of the room, while the girls spied on progress from the top of the stairs. Always present, never involved.
For the unsuspecting, this life is perfectly normal. What happens when there is a bump in the road? How do you deal with a feeling you have been forced to push away before your first steps? What happens when the last thing to come to the shore is a threat no one could have prepared for?
**Reviewer note** there are potential triggers in this book.
