Dr. Lucinda Berry is one of my favorite thriller authors. Her expertise in trauma psychology always shines through and never disappoints in her writing style. When She Returned was no exception.
I was drawn into the book from the very beginning. Kate, the wife and mother who seemingly vanished into thin air reappears after 11 years, with a baby. This leaves her now remarried husband, his new wife, and Kates teenage daughter reeling. As they try to pick up the pieces, help Kate and find a new semblance of normalcy, their world continues to shatter as they learn Kate left of her own accord and has been with a cult her entire 11 years away.
The book is written from the point of view of Kate, her husband’s new wife Meredith, and Kates teenage daughter Abbi. It is in a Then and now format, which flows seamlessly and really ties the book together and drives home the power cults can have over their followers. It gives just a small inside view of what both cult followers and the families they left behind go through.
The emotions of the characters were raw, relate-able and well developed. The plot, although somewhat predictable, left room for a twist. However, the ending left a lot to be desired and did not seem quite up to par with the rest of the book. It seemed to end rathe abruptly and I was left with several questions. What happened to the cult leader? The baby? The rest of the cult followers? These are all questions that are left open to the readers imagination. I do believe though, that even with the unanswered questions, Dr. Berry has another hit on her hands.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Dr. Lucinda Berry and the publisher for this opportunity.
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