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Washington Post

Let's talk about a trend in summer's thrillers: cults

Ah, summertime. When all you want is a big swimming pool, a cold drink and a page-turning novel. Luckily, this summer's slate of new thrillers is rich and diverse, with tales of domestic suspense, espionage, skulduggery and many a whodunit. Among this season's offerings, we noticed an interesting trend-let: thrillers that involve cults. As thriller writers, we see why cults are a perfect approach to the genre: They tie into so much of what crime fiction feasts on — the questioning of authority, the need for power and control, the idea of isolationism versus society and the natural slip into unreliability and secrecy. We decided to take a closer look at two new thrillers with cults at their core: 'The Ascent' by Allison Buccola and 'A Thousand Natural Shocks' by Omar Hussain. Tara Laskowski: Cults have always fascinated me, and I was curious to see how differently these authors approached them. 'A Thousand Natural Shocks' introduces the Liberty Subterraneans, a cult with criminal intentions. In exchange for some breaking and entering and a little bit of identity theft, the group promises its members the freedom of total reinvention by way of pills that make people forget everything they were before — a very appealing prospect for the book's protagonist, Dash, a troubled reporter for a weekly newspaper. He's running from a traumatic event in his past, refusing to sleep (and therefore dream about the trauma) and addicted to illegal prescription medicine that warps his sense of reality. The cult's magic pills, therefore, begin to feel like the only cure for Dash — one he'll stop at nothing to obtain. E.A. Aymar: While elements of 'A Thousand Natural Shocks' play with science fiction, 'The Ascent' is decidedly domestic suspense. Buccola's novel tells the story of Lee Burton, who was raised as a child in a cult called The Fifteen, based outside Philadelphia (imagine a group of Eagles fans, but less violent) and is abandoned by them when they abruptly vanish. Now an adult with a seven-month-old daughter named Lucy and a successful, caring husband named Theo, Lee has tried to distance herself from that secretive past. But the stress of motherhood, a new documentary about the cult and a mysterious stranger threaten her fragile well-being. So we have two markedly different takes on cults. What similarities did you find? TL: I think the appeal of joining a cult is to be a part of a group. And in these books, both Buccola and Hussain take great care in developing this sense of community, particularly through the supporting characters. In 'A Thousand Natural Shocks,' Dash's unusual support group consists of a loyal, exhausted work friend, a sickly old woman who lives in a hair salon and a battered dog. One of the best quirky entourages I've seen in a long time. In 'The Ascent,' there are delightfully snooty friends, a scattered but well-meaning neighbor and a wonderfully drawn vapid mom group. And Buccola does a good job, in general, of describing the fragile mental state of a mother with a baby. I really liked how claustrophobic and monotonous Lee's day-to-day life with the baby felt: 'Today is a Tuesday, and Tuesdays are long and shapeless. I have spoken to three adults since Theo left the house … I hate Tuesdays.' EA: The characters also served as my emotional connection to 'The Ascent.' Lee is a great study. There's this aching, worried relationship with her daughter, and this connection to the figures in her past that go beyond mere mystery. TL: Absolutely. Both of these novels will appeal to readers seeking emotional depth and strong character development, even if one's a quieter domestic thriller and the other is striving to be a summer blockbuster movie. EA: It's daring to cross genres in a debut, like Hussain has in 'Shocks,' and to address such complicated themes without losing the emotional underpinning. And he kept the prose lively, despite the occasional swing and miss. That said, the cults in both books felt vague. In 'The Ascent,' we're never really told what Lee's cult believes in, why her family joined, or if the premonitory sense of danger the cult evoked was warranted. That frustrated me. I will also say that, upon reflection, I saw the author's intent differently than I expected. This isn't about the cult, but rather the psychological aftermath of that traumatic, ultimately isolating experience. And Buccola does a wonderful job of capturing that space. TL: So once folks have gotten their cult fix, what other thrillers being released this summer are you excited about? EA: We didn't include it in this list, but Clémence Michallon's 'The Quiet Tenant' would be right at home in this column, given its focus on a pair of siblings who have escaped a cult and how their past haunts their present. And, although not a cult book, I'm intrigued by Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.'s 'The El,' which plays with some of the themes we've discussed regarding finding leadership and loyalty in suspect groups. TL: I'm really looking forward to Megan Abbott's 'El Dorado Drive,' featuring a secret women's club that promises wealth and independence at a price. I'm also excited about 'The Woman in Suite 11,' the sequel to Ruth Ware's fabulous 'The Woman in Cabin 10.' And Kristin L. Berry's debut, 'We Don't Talk About Carol,' about Black girls going missing in North Carolina, gave me chills, in a good way. EA: Megan Abbott is a modern master, and I'll read anything she writes. These all sound like such fantastic suggestions, perfect for the pool or, if you're like me and can't deal with the sun, for reading inside anything air-conditioned this summer. E.A. Aymar's most recent novel is 'When She Left,' which was one of three novels chosen by PEN/Faulkner for its DC Reads initiative. Tara Laskowski is the author of the suspense novels 'The Weekend Retreat,' 'The Mother Next Door' and 'One Night Gone,' which won the Agatha Award, Macavity Award and the Anthony Award.