The Trans-Fictional ATTD List

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

How many for the taxi driver? 1? He did kill a guy and was planning on kidnapping a woman he liked.

 

If you think he deserved one, give him one. He did some awful stuff, but he never struck me as evil in the same way as Francis and the recruiter. The taxi driver ruined his own life and the life of his rival; the other two ruined dozens.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Well, it's been a while, so I might as well necro this thread with a new entry. 

 

Father Prophet from Caela Carter's My Life with the Liars.

 

I'll try to keep this as non-spoilery as possible, because I think you should all read this book, but I'll tag it just in case. 

 

As you may have guessed from his oh-so-humble title, Father Prophet is the leader of a cult. As the story begins, almost-thirteen-year-old Zylynn is leaving the Arizona compound of The Children Inside the Light, presumably never to return. Since she spent her entire life inside that compound, you might expect she has some issues. 

 

And you would be correct. 

 

The book is narrated in first-person present, and Zylynn's internal monologue is one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever read. She thinks of everything in terms handed down to her by Father Prophet—the abuse she suffered in the compound was Mother God testing her; the kindness of her father and stepmother is a lie trying to keep her in Darkness. The central conflict revolves around Zylynn's belief that she must return to the compound before sunset on her thirteenth birthday, or she will be doomed and tortured forever. She is constantly cringing, expecting punishment for nothing at all. When her father sits beside her at the breakfast table, she grabs her bacon and dashes for her room, believing he is going to take it away. She is extremely malnourished and expresses wonder at things like shampoo. 

 

And none of this would have happened without Father Prophet. 

 

He's the cult leader you've always heard about: preys on the emotionally damaged, steals their money, lives in luxury while his followers starve. But seeing what his twisted beliefs have done to Zylynn really drives home what a despicable human being he is.

[Delightful]

Well, it's been a while, so I might as well necro this thread with a new entry.

Father Prophet from Caela Carter's My Life with the Liars.

I'll try to keep this as non-spoilery as possible, because I think you should all read this book, but I'll tag it just in case.

As you may have guessed from his oh-so-humble title, Father Prophet is the leader of a cult. As the story begins, almost-thirteen-year-old Zylynn is leaving the Arizona compound of The Children Inside the Light, presumably never to return. Since she spent her entire life inside that compound, you might expect she has some issues.

And you would be correct.

The book is narrated in first-person present, and Zylynn's internal monologue is one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever read. She thinks of everything in terms handed down to her by Father Prophet—the abuse she suffered in the compound was Mother God testing her; the kindness of her father and stepmother is a lie trying to keep her in Darkness. The central conflict revolves around Zylynn's belief that she must return to the compound before sunset on her thirteenth birthday, or she will be doomed and tortured forever. She is constantly cringing, expecting punishment for nothing at all. When her father sits beside her at the breakfast table, she grabs her bacon and dashes for her room, believing he is going to take it away. She is extremely malnourished and expresses wonder at things like shampoo.

And none of this would have happened without Father Prophet.

He's the cult leader you've always heard about: preys on the emotionally damaged, steals their money, lives in luxury while his followers starve. But seeing what his twisted beliefs have done to Zylynn really drives home what a despicable human being he is.

Oh my dear God.

I'd love to read this book but I think it's also going to be horrifying.

An emotionally similar book I read once is called Boot Camp, about a kid who gets send by his parents to essentially a brainwashing centre for teenagers. It was horrible. The author claimed such places exist but I'm not sure if that was just to add a sense of realism...

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Oh my dear God.

I'd love to read this book but I think it's also going to be horrifying.

An emotionally similar book I read once is called Boot Camp, about a kid who gets send by his parents to essentially a brainwashing centre for teenagers. It was horrible. The author claimed such places exist but I'm not sure if that was just to add a sense of realism...

 

It's horrifying, but worth it. It's classed as middle grade, and while I don't know that it will necessarily appeal to MG readers, it means that Zylynn's Stockholm Syndrome and the conditions at the compound are the only things the author really delves into. Not that it makes them any less soul-crushing. 

 

They're real.