I was astounded by this book. It is beautifully written, very hard to read at times, and handles a dual-voice narrative better than almost anything I can think of. Two distinct characters tell this story and it is impossible to mix them up. The book is printed in two typefaces but it honestly doesn’t need to be – the two voices are that well drawn. I think this book could win something, and would be very happy if it did.

Agnes and Honey were both born at Mount Blessing, a religious commune run by a man named Emmanuel whose word is final in every situation. There are strict rules and severe consequences for violating those rules – consequences Honey has come up against time and again. As the years have passed Agnes and Honey’s best friendship has been strained as Honey has begun to chafe against the rigidity of life at Mount Blessing and Agnes has longed to become a perfect disciple.

Honey gets her wish when Agnes’s grandmother visits Mount Blessing, learns one of the commune’s darkest secrets, and whisks Honey, Agnes, and Agnes’s brother Benny away in the middle of the night. Now Honey is free as she never dreamed she could be, while Agnes’s terrified heart longs to be back at the only home she has ever known even as the truth about life there threatens her very sanity.

In the end, Agnes is the one who holds the key to their freedom, if she only has the courage to face the truth.

The author was raised in a commune like Mount Blessing, and her personal experience clearly imbues the novel with a truth that would not be possible otherwise. Days after finishing this book I am still haunted by many of the things she wrote here. I think this book is really remarkable and am recommending it wholeheartedly to everyone I know. It is not an easy read, but I think it is an important one, and a timely one.

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pub date: out now in hardcover