The Followers

A profoundly unsettling brilliantly executed and deeply humane depiction of a slow slide toward an unspeakable act ... A remarkable novel (Emily St. John Mandel author ofStation Eleven). Judith has been visiting her mother Stephanie in prison once a month for the last eight years. She still cant bring herself to talk with her mother about what brought them hereor about Nathaniel the man whose religious cult almost cost them their lives. When Stephanie first meets him she is a struggling single mother and Nathaniel is a charismatic outsider unlike anyone shes ever known. In deciding to join the group hes founded Stephanie thinks shes doing the best thing for her daughter: a new home a new purpose. Judith and Stephanie are initiated into a secret society whose followers must obey the will of a zealous prophet. As Stephanie immerses herself in her new life Judith slowly realizes the moral implications of the strict lifestyle Nathaniel preaches. Tensions deepen faith and doubt collide and a horrifying act of violence changes everything. In the shattering aftermath it seems that no one is safe. With propulsive plotting (The Guardian) The Followers is a novel about love hope and identity that asks: Are we still responsible for our actions if we remake ourselves in someone elses image? And can there be a way back? With skillful judgment Wait shows us that not everyone can be trained or scared into submission. The tenderness and the transformative nature of the ending are truly moving. The Independent Brooding tension ... building to a page-turning finish. Daily Mail