I have always had such a fascination with cults. The idea that one person is a leader and he has followers,in this case called his flock,is so interesting to me. The idea that these people so blindly follow him without even questioning him at all is simply mind boggling to me. These people in these cults are essentially brainwashed much like the followers of major cult leader Warren Jeffs, were.
These cults seem to recruit certain types of people. People who have experienced significant heartache,like the death of a child or the death of a parent.Or even people who are poor or unmarried. Those types of people are the ones least likely to question the leader, in this case his name was Pioneer. The cults tend to stray away from recruiting people who are more confident and strong minded.
Lyla's family experienced a nightmare when her sister Karen disappeared ten years earlier when Lyla was only 5. 2 years later Pioneer recruited Lyla and her parents to be the beginnings of his flock that would reside in the Community.Ten years later Lyla remembers little of her old life as she has assimilated into her life in the Community.Will is her future husband, no one questions that. They have been intended for each other since Lyla was fourteen years old.
Yet this isn't your typical cult as it is not driven by religion.It is what is known as a doomsday cult. Pioneer believes that the end of the world is near and he is making sure that once it does end, the entire Community can live in the Silo where they will be safe. But a chance meeting between Lyla and an Outsider by the name of Cody, threatens to unearth everything that Lyla has held dear to her. Suddenly the quiet Lyla is questioning everything about the Community and about Pioneer. That way of thinking could cost her, her life as well as the lives of those she loves.
The last third of the book is so heartbreaking and I had tissues in my hands during the ending of it. By the end of the book, my tissues were in shreds and my eyes were red and puffy. Amy Christine Parker did an amazing job with this book.I will definitely buy anything else she writes as this was a spectacular debut. 5 stars to this compelling, riveting and heartbreaking book that broke the formula of books about cults.
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I bought a copy of GATED at a book signing and let me say, Amy Christine Parker is so nice and talented I couldn't wait to read this book! It lived up to everything I thought! Definitely a thriller and I loved the psychological aspects exploring how and why people could become part of a cult. Pioneer, the cult leader, was creepy but not blatantly which I think worked perfectly with the story and his character in being nice enough to make people feel like he has their best interest in mind, but then he does some messed up stuff. The main character Lyla was believable and well developed and I was rooting for her throughout and the ending was great! The author has a beautiful way of painting the landscape and scenes so vividly you can really picture yourself right there living alongside the characters and story - though at the same time I'm glad I'm not living there with them, you know, because of the cult and all. A great read with twists and turns. I definitely recommend it! (Picture is of my copy of the book with my cat, showing my recommended way of reading this Psychological Thriller: in the dark with a book light and a cat!)
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