Mari Howes, the author, is an American poet. She has received several awards within the span of the last 30 years. In January 2018, she was elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. This audiobook got me first intrigued when I saw its title. I checked the details and downloaded the book to my phone. It wasn’t until recently, when I had to wait a lot in traffic, that I decided to give the -long- audio a try. I didn’t regret it one bit!

The narrative recalls the story that starts with a homicide from both the accounts of the accused, Heather, a member of the Messiah’s tribes, and her appointed lawyer, Abby. The story is fictional and sheds light on how an impressionable young college girl is entrapped into a cult that was presented to her as a community of honest and enticing people who genuinely cared for her well-being. It is very interesting how the author swings back and forth between perspectives and events for the reader/listener to understand how it all started and what made the turn of events happen the way it did. Both narrators did a good job of keeping me interested all while driving. The language can be strong at times, especially in describing violent behavior. I can’t say it bothered me, but I sort of expected the story to unfold the way it did. If you decide to go for this read, I’m sure you will enjoy it 🙂