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Books about Cults
This collection spans the thrillers about cults, the non-fiction exposes and fascinating explorations, the memoirs and the weird-lit books about wellness culture as a cult. Each one of these is an excellent read - with plenty to get lost in, just make sure you know the way back out again at the end.
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Educated
Educated by Tara Westover is a memoir about a woman who grows up in a strict and isolated household in rural Idaho. Without formal education until the age of seventeen, she eventually escapes her restrictive environment, pursuing knowledge and earning a PhD from Cambridge University. The story explores themes of self-invention, family loyalty, and the transformative power of education.
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Nine Perfect Strangers
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty is a compelling tale about nine individuals who gather at a remote wellness resort, each seeking a transformative retreat. Led by a charismatic yet unconventional director, the characters navigate personal challenges and hidden agendas. As their stories intertwine, unexpected revelations unfold, offering insights into human nature and the complexities of healing.
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Cultish
In Cultish, Amanda Montell explores the language and rhetoric that cults use to entice and manipulate followers. Through examining both notorious and benign groups, she reveals how everyday language can subtly influence, offering insights into the power of words across different social contexts. This engaging analysis bridges the gap between linguistics and society, illustrating how cultish elements permeate modern culture.
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I Am Not Esther
A classic bestseller that's been in print for over 20 years, this gripping YA thriller follows a teenage girl caught in a religious cult. Imagine that your mother tells you she's going away. She is going to leave you with relatives you've never heard of - and they are members of a strict religious cult. Your name is changed, and you are forced to follow the severe set of social standards set by the cult. There is no television, no radio, no newspaper. No mirrors. You must wear long, modest clothes. You don't know where your mother is, and you are beginning to question your own identity. I Am Not Esther is a gripping psychological thriller written by New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards-winning children's writer Fleur Beale....
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Arcadia
Arcadia by Lauren Groff is a lyrical exploration of life in a utopian commune set amidst the lush, Eden-like expanses of New York State in the 1970s. The narrative follows the journey of Bit, a young boy growing up amidst a community striving for harmony and perfection, while navigating the inevitable challenges and realities of life. Through exquisitely detailed prose, the story gracefully transitions from Bit's childhood innocence to the complexities of adult life.
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Cult Bride
How are people like you and me brainwashed into cults? In her gap year after high school, Liz is approached at a shopping centre by a woman who asks her survey questions about her Christian faith. Liz is slowly brought into her small, friendly church community – but little does she know that her new ‘friends’ are members of the South Korean cult Providence, which currently operates in more than 70 countries. This is the story of how Liz endured mind-control techniques and a visit to the cult’s convicted serial rapist leader in prison and came out the other side alive. She takes us behind the scenes to show us how cults operate in plain sight – and how we can unpick the systems that enable them to...
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Rytual
I support women's rights, but more importantly, I support women's wrongs. Marnie Sellick is adrift when she lands a job at the coveted, mysterious beauty brand rytuał cosmetica. The enigmatic founder and CEO, Luna Peters, takes a liking to Marnie, and as the two grow closer, Marnie becomes intoxicated by the life that Luna, and rytuał, can offer her. But all is not what it seems at rytuał. Luna has a cult-like hold over the all-female staff, and that's not to mention what happens at their weekly Friday Night Drinks. As Marnie edges closer to the darkness at the centre of rytuał's millennial-pink facade, cracks begin to show. Luna is hiding something, but will Marnie uncover the truth—and the role Luna has cast her in—before it's too late?...
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The Make-Believe
From the actor in Skins and Games of Thrones, a deeply intimate, shockingly honest memoir about acting, fame, mental illness and the struggle to leave a cult-like organisation whose belief in magic shattered Hannah's reality. In 2017, Hannah Murray was a successful actor whose career had taken her to Hollywood and given her the opportunity to act with A-list stars and Oscar-winning directors. But as the daily costs of acting grew, from the degradations of auditions to repeating violent scenes over and over, Hannah found herself searching for something to make her feel better. One day, a reiki healer promises her a new kind of treatment, a kind of magic, and all of a sudden Hannah's life is changed. Back in London, she becomes increasingly involved with the...
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Fight Club
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk explores the life of an unnamed narrator struggling with insomnia and dissatisfaction in his white-collar job. His life changes dramatically when he forms an unusual friendship with the enigmatic Tyler Durden, leading to the creation of an underground fight club as an outlet for male aggression and disillusionment. The story intensifies as the club's influence grows, challenging societal norms and pushing the limits of both freedom and chaos.
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Snake Oil
From the author of Girl in the Rearview Mirror comes a stunning novel set in the high-stakes world of Silicon Valley. It's a woman's world, isn't it? Rhoda West has the world at her feet. As the luminously charismatic CEO of Radical, a fast-growing start-up, Rhoda has built a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women's lives. Showcasing her cult products and her perfect life through her social media, Rhoda is the ultimate 'Radigal', encouraging her followers to be #bebetter, whilst driving her business to attain the billion-dollar unicorn status that she craves. But just as Radical announces the latest fundraising round that will take it over the top, an anonymous Twitter account begins revealing the company's secrets and starts questioning its beliefs and approach,...
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Bunny
A darkly funny, gothic novel about a lonely graduate student drawn into a clique of rich girls at a New England university. 'No punches pulled, no hilarities dodged, no meme unmangled. O Bunny you are sooo genius!' - MARGARET ATWOOD. We call them Bunnies because that is what they call each other. Seriously. Bunny. Samantha Heather Mackey is an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at Warren University. In fact, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort – a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other 'Bunny'. But then the Bunnies issue her with an invitation and Samantha finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door, across the threshold, and down their rabbit hole. Blending sharp satire with...
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Underground
Underground by Haruki Murakami is a compelling non-fiction exploration of the Tokyo subway sarin attack that occurred in 1995. Through interviews with survivors and members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, Murakami delves into the personal stories and societal impact of the tragedy, seeking to understand how a modern society could give rise to such an event.
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Our Share of Night
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez delves into the dark journey of a father and his son as they navigate a world entangled with eerie supernatural elements. It explores themes of love, protection, and the sinister legacies that haunt them. This gripping tale is sure to captivate readers of general fiction with its blend of emotional depth and suspense.
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The Unworthy
In the House of the Sacred Sisterhood, the unworthy live in fear of the Superior Sister's whip. Seething with resentment, they plot against each other and await who will ascend to the level of the Enlightened — and who will suffer the next exemplary punishment. Risking her life, one of the unworthy keeps a diary in secret. Slowly, memories surface from a time before the world collapsed, before the Sacred Sisterhood became the only refuge. Then Lucía arrives. She, too, is unworthy — but she is different. And her arrival brings a single spark of hope to a world of darkness. The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica tells a tale of survival and the thin thread of hope that can lead to freedom in the most oppressive of environments....
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Under The Banner of Heaven
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The Girls
The Girls by Emma Cline is a coming-of-age story set in 1960s California, unfolding through the perspective of a teenage girl who becomes captivated by a group of girls in a cult. As she becomes more involved, she navigates adolescence, exploring themes of longing, identity, and the allure of belonging to something greater. The novel explores the complexities of girlhood and the sometimes-dangerous roads taken in the search for acceptance and self-discovery.
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Colony
Colony, a mega bestseller in Sweden and the winner of its two biggest literary awards, is a gripping portrayal of contemporary society and its alternatives. Burnt-out from a demanding job and a bustling life in the city, Emelie has left town to spend a few days in the country. Once there, in the peaceful, verdant hills and down by the river, she encounters a mysterious group of seven people. Each person has personal stories full of pain, alienation, and the longing to live differently. They are misfits, each in their own way, all led by the enigmatic and charismatic Sara. How did they end up there? Are they content with the rigid roles they've been assigned? And what happens when an outsider appears, initially drawn to their alternative...
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Cult
A thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last! A kidnapped child…A young boy is snatched in broad daylight outside his Stockholm nursery. He has vanished without a trace. A race against time…Detective Mina Dabiri calls on her close friend Vincent to help with the investigation. As they uncover links to other missing children, it becomes clear they are up against the clock. A world full of secrets…Then Mina and Vincent find themselves caught up in a mysterious cult with terrifying motives. Can they stop them before it’s too late? Get ready to dive into the gripping narrative of Cult by Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeus.
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In the Clearing
The novel that inspired the Disney+ Original series, The Clearing, featuring an all-star cast led by Teresa Palmer, Miranda Otto, and Guy Pearce. Amy has only ever known life in the Clearing. She knows what's expected of her. She knows what to do to please her elders, and how to make sure the community remains happy and calm. That is, until a new girl joins the group. Freya has gone to great lengths to feel like a 'normal person'. If you saw her with her young son, you'd think she was an everyday mum. But then a girl goes missing, and someone from her past, someone she hasn't seen for a very long time, arrives in town. As secrets of the past bubble up to the surface, this...