Publishers Weekly
06/29/2020
Amy Smith-Atkins, a 15-year-old cult member, and Freya Heywood, a 41-year-old single mother, co-narrate this bombshell-laden thriller from Pomare (Call Me Evie). Amy is excited to help kidnap seven-year-old Sara McFetridge and bring her to the Clearing—the cult’s compound near Australia’s North Tullawarra National Park, where worshippers of Amy’s mother, Adrienne (the alleged reincarnation of Jesus Christ), are preparing for the new age. Amy tells Sara—now “Asha”—that the Clearing is Eden, but Asha’s recollections of life outside give Amy cause for doubt. Freya and her seven-year-old son, Billy, also live near Tullawarra. Though their remote house is well protected, Freya’s secret history inspires constant concern for their safety. When another young girl goes missing and mementos of the past start appearing on Freya’s doorstep, Freya fears the worst. Pomare dispenses details like they’re a controlled substance, maximizing suspense by delaying the convergence of his two story lines. A superfluity of twists threatens to undermine the tale’s structural integrity, but airtight plotting keeps the novel chugging until its harrowing close. Pomare is a writer to watch. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Pomare captivates in this haunting novel, In The Clearing. I was utterly gripped with the stories of Amy and Freya from start to finish, and fascinated by the unexpected way the two came together.Thrilling, atmospheric and with twists abounding, this book held me in its spell long after the final page. A sure-fire bestseller."—Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-in-Law
“Spine-tingling . . . Pomare is able to pull off red herrings galore and crafty, satisfying twists. A heart-pounding novel made heart-rending by its reflection of real-life events.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Bombshell-laden . . . Pomare is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly
"A dark, chilling, atmospheric thriller populated with mysterious and wonderfully flawed characters."—Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child
"There's no doubt about it: Pomare is a master of the carefully constructed, impeccably paced psycho-thriller."—Weekend Australian
"Sets its hooks on page one and doesn't let go until the final, chilling line."—Chris Holm, author of The Killing Kind
"A story of motherhood, damage, and a nightmarish cult . . . An outstanding and compulsive read."—Jen Conley, author of Cannibals
"A pared-back firecracker where the danger is clear and present—even if its exact shape remains opaque until the book's climax and final gasp-inducing twist."
—Books & Publishing (Australia)
"Past and present collide in this taut and unpredictable thriller ... Twist follows twist and nothing is as it seems."—Chris Hammer, author of Scrublands
"A riveting read that kept me locked in from page one. Textured, complex, and equally fast-paced and memorable, JP Pomare weaves together cults, the plight of motherhood, and family strife to create a book that will linger with you long after you've read it. The past is ever-present here, in ways both relatable and surprising. Don't miss this one."—Alex Segura, authorof Blackout and Miami Midnight
Kirkus Reviews
2020-07-14
A girl trapped in a cult and a mother with a tragic past are set on a collision course.
Freya Heywood lives about an hour outside of Melbourne with her young son, Billy. She can fit in with the other school moms well enough: She teaches yoga, drives a Land Rover. But nearly 20 years ago, Freya was involved in an incident that caused her to permanently lose custody of her first child. And this isn’t her only secret, either. Freya manages to keep her past at bay with panic buttons and top-notch security, but there are signs that danger is encroaching on her life with Billy: strangers near her house, tokens left on her doorstep. Near Freya’s property, Amy is one of almost a dozen children and teens living at the Clearing as part of a New Age group modeled closely on the chilling case of The Family, a cult active in Australia in the 1960s and '70s. Amy and her “siblings” are given little food, punished in horrific ways, and sexually abused. But they believe in the power of their leader, Adrienne, and they will do anything to help her “liberate a child from the world outside” to complete their circle. Pomare runs Amy's and Freya’s narratives in parallel until, little by little, they begin to intersect in increasingly spine-tingling ways. Pomare’s taciturn narration can sometimes mean the characters’ inner lives are locked away from readers, and the characters as a result can feel a bit hazy. Overall, though, Pomare’s deft plotting tempers the difficult-to-bear passages of cult life, and in keeping his narrative cards close to his chest, Pomare is able to pull off red herrings galore and crafty, satisfying twists.
A heart-pounding novel made heart-rending by its reflection of real-life events.
