The Word

April 29, 2024
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 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 When Lisa was seven, her estranged father kidnapped her and took her to Zebulun, a community inhabited by Citizens of the Word, an idiosyncratic religion rooted in rampant misogyny. Life seems good until Lisa's father beats an elderly man to death and, banished, they head to Seattle, where they live on the street. There they meet Carlo, a street-smart teen who takes them under his wing and helps them survive by picking pockets. Then it's to Port Angeles, where they live in a dilapidated house next door to a girl named Becca, whom Lisa befriends--secretly, because her father would forbid it. When he discovers the friendship, he savagely attacks Lisa. Not long thereafter, the police find them and return Lisa to her mother. Is Lisa free from her father? Perhaps not, for he has a plan that will change everything. Thompson does a good job with her creation of the Word and its impact on its adherents. Her ending requires a willing suspension of disbelief, although it is, inarguably, dramatic and will please readers.

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April 1, 2024
When two things can be true at once, how do you decide on your own truth? When 7-year-old Lisa DeAndreis' mother gained custody of her, her father manipulated her into leaving during the night, absconding with her to live in the Christian cult community the Citizens of the Word. Later, they went to live on the streets of Seattle, where Dad proselytized, and finally in a ramshackle house in Port Angeles, Washington, with Carlo Estevez, Lisa's adopted brother. Nine years later, Lisa is found by the cops and returned to her mother in Eugene, Oregon. Lisa is determined to follow the plan her father laid out for her in the event that this happened, but she grapples with reconciling the conflicting worldviews she's being exposed to. On the one hand, there are the judgments of her father and the gospel of the Word--on the other, she's being exposed to the outside world of her mother, stepfather, half brother, and a new, surprising boy she meets. The story culminates in a shocking event that forces Lisa to decide who she really is. Unfolding in alternating timelines throughout Lisa's life, the plot moves forward with increasing tension while examining themes of misogyny and family in thoughtful ways. Thompson adeptly portrays Lisa's battle with her father's manipulation and her own intelligent understanding of her situation. Lisa and her family read white; Carlo is cued Latine. A compelling story of self. (works cited) (Fiction. 13-18)

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June 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-When she was seven years old, Lisa climbed out her window to be with her father, and they've been on the run ever since. Members of a small sect of Christianity that most would consider a cult, the two spend several years with the Citizens of the Word. But, after her father is banished, he and Lisa end up homeless and preaching on the street for a year, before finding a home thanks to Carlo, who became Lisa's brother in the Word. Now, at 16, the law has finally caught up with them, and Lisa is returned to her mother, who according to Lisa's religion, is supposed to be dead to her. The story is told in alternating chapters, some in the present, and some from all different points and places in Lisa's past, which helps to reveal information at the perfect time. The real focus is on Lisa's struggles to make sense of the contrast between things she has been told and things she knows are true, and ultimately learning to trust the latter even if it means losing her place in the Citizens of the Word and the family she has built with them. Lisa's inner conflict is portrayed very well, especially as the stakes are raised, and will likely resonate with this age group, also learning to question what they've been told. All characters read white. VERDICT A unique story about the turmoil of leaving a religion or any body of thought that you grew up with; a general purchase.-Mariah Smitala

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