The Word

Sixteen-year-old Alyssa “Lisa” DeAndreis, who was kidnapped by her divorced father at age seven, is reunited with her mother, stepfather, and stepbrother in this spine-tingling novel by Thompson (Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee). Having been raised by her father according to the tenets of the Citizens of the Word, a Pacific Northwest cult focused on alternative Christian principles, Lisa believes that women are subservient to men, and meant to cook, clean, and marry by 18. Though Lisa’s controlled life meant no contact with the outside world, and though she experienced moments of happiness via interactions with her adopted brother and a secret friend, she struggles adjusting to “normal” life in Oregon free from her father’s influence. Lisa is further burdened by memories of physical abuse and her father’s alcohol dependency, at the same time contending with a difficult and deadly choice imposed by her father and their shared beliefs. Lisa’s interactions with her mother add moving catharsis to a narrative that covers heavy themes via perceptive prose. Despite occasionally befuddling jumps between past and present scenes, Thompson deftly highlights the injustices of the American legal system regarding child abuse and parental rights all while presenting an engrossing cult thriller. Most characters read as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (May)