The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly

4.5 stars.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes is a unflinchingly honest portrayal of life inside a religious cult. Although a work of fiction, every heartbreaking detail rings true and the novel raises very thought-provoking questions and answers about blindly following the teachings of a self-proclaimed spiritual leader.

When Minnow Bly was five years old, her parents followed Prophet Kevin into the Montana wilderness where they helped build and then lived in a secluded Community with other followers. They never questioned the Prophet's increasingly bizarre teachings and they followed his every command without any protest. The Kevinian cult believed in taking more than one wife and the Prophet decided which young girl the show more much older men would marry. The women and children carried out the most strenuous tasks while the men were made Deacons of the "church". The cult members had no contact with the outside world but Minnow faintly recalled small details of life before her family joined the Prophet which caused her to doubt some of his proclamations.

When the novel opens, Minnow has been arrested for a vicious assault on a young man following her escape from the wilderness compound. She is convicted of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where an FBI forensic psychologist offers her a deal that could lead to her parole on her eighteenth birthday. In exchange for his testimony at her upcoming parole hearing, Minnow must tell Dr. White the harrowing details about the night the Prophet died and the Kevinian compound was set ablaze. Through flashbacks and her vivid account to Dr. White, the story of Minnow's life with the Prophet is revealed and surprisingly, with the help of the doctor and her cellmate, Angel, Minnow begins to heal from her horrific ordeal.

While not technically a mystery, there is a suspense element to the storyline. Minnow is reluctant to divulge the events of the night of the Prophet's death but why? What reason could she possibly have for keeping a secret of this magnitude? Is she responsible for his death? If not, who is trying to protect? The answers to these questions might just lie in her surprising and unexpected friendship with Jude, an outsider who lives close to the religious compound. This friendship leads Minnow to sneak away at every opportunity to escape her cloistered life with the Kevinians. These experiences with Jude also foster some of her skepticism of Prophet Kevin's somewhat ludicrous teachings.

At the juvenile detention center, Minnow strikes up an unlikely friendship with Angel who helps her navigate the confusing life among the other inmates. After years in seclusion, Minnow is incredibly naive and at first, she finds it difficult to leave behind the teachings of Prophet Kevin. She is also uncertain of her own opinions and looks to others to tell her what to think about the questions she has about life, faith and the world in general. Minnow is extremely intelligent and through the programs available to her, she begins the arduous tasks of learning to read and gain the skills needed to live a regular life. Surprisingly, Minnow does not turn her back on faith and she finds comfort in certain passages from the Bible.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is an extraordinarily fascinating novel and the storyline is incredibly compelling. Minnow is an extremely complex and sympathetic character and she is also very easy to like despite the circumstances that led to her incarceration. Cults are infinitely intriguing and Stephanie Oakes provides a credible scenario for how disenfranchised and dissatisfied people can easily be led astray as they search for a better life for themselves and their loved ones. An absolutely outstanding novel that is quite hopeful despite the rather serious subject matter and one that I highly recommend. show less

I did waffle between whether or not to give this five or four stars, but I decided that the only reason I would give it four is because I wanted more, and that's no reason to rate it down!

This book is great. Not too preachy or heavy-handed (...excuse the pun), and all about Minnow discovering who she truly is outside the confines of her previously very narrow life. I like that she didn't reject faith completely, but instead took the time to open herself up to different perspectives and opportunities.

Her lack of hands is, of course, a large point in the story, but Minnow is never self-pitying or pitiful because of it. She manages by herself, with some help, but mainly by herself. And, honestly, juvie was probably the best place for her show more to go after The Community, because she needed to be able to express all her anger and sadness and despair in any way she could, and being in juvie allowed her to do that.

The other characters were incredibly written as well; not stereotypical or there to teach Minnow any kind of lesson. It was really interesting how everyone was convinced that Angel was a bad influence and a bad person, but Minnow could see her for who she really was, and part of that was Angel's resignation that she would be there for the rest of her life. (I loved the conversation she had with Dr. Wilson about her crime: he believes she lay in wait to kill her uncle because it was a cold-blooded crime, but really she was so pushed to the brink by him that she felt that was her only choice, and the way that she killed him ended up being kind of incidental.)

It's cliche, but Minnow truly does refuse to be a victim, and learns to let go of some of her guilt, and maybe become a better person. I hope she gets paroled, and into the Bridge program, and that she visits Tyler eventually. show less

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly might be listed as a YA book, but there’s plenty here to keep adult readers (even ones who don’t read heaps of YA) more than entertained. This is a gripping story that combines the downfall of a cult (think Waco) with life in a prison (think Orange is the New Black) with a touch of young love and a sprinkling of hope. For those of you who are familiar with the fairy tale, The Handless Maiden, you’ll also see some similarities brought into this modern story. (If you’re not familiar with the story, like I was, it doesn’t matter at all). Minnow’s story is both harrowing and inspiring as you turn the pages. It’s also intense in the feelings it raises in the reader.

From the opening line, “I am a show more blood-soaked girl”, you know that this book is going to be no ordinary story. Girls don’t usually find themselves in that kind of situation. But Minnow is different. She’s harmed an innocent man and now she’s going to jail. But jail for Minnow allows her to reconnect with a number of things in the big city – books, reading and people outside the Community. Minnow’s been part of the Community since she was a young girl – she can barely remember life with her parents beforehand. The Community was stifling for her strong will and over a number of interviews, Minnow will reveal some of what happened. Such as how she lost both her hands. But will she tell the truth of everything that lead to the Community’s downfall in a fireball?

After everything, you would think Minnow would be relieved to end up back in regular society, happy to be looked after. But no. Minnow’s going to fight – generally fairly, but occasionally taking advantage to get somewhere, to be who she has always wanted to be. That involves learning how to read and surviving in jail. And just one day, she might find the boy who was left in the woods… Minnow is determined and calculating, but she’s a good person. She’s the type to look after her friends and stand up for what’s right. It’s amazing after everything she’s been through.

It’s amazing that this is Stephanie Oakes’ debut novel. The intensity of the love, hate and loyalty that comes out of Minnow springs off the page and into your heart. One of the reasons I enjoy reading YA is because of the powerful and passionate emotions and this book has it in spades. It’s gripping once you work out a semblance of what has happened to Minnow and are happy to let her drive when and how she will tell you things. The story ends on a note of hope which finished off things just beautifully for me and all the ends are tied up nicely. But it’s the big things that are discussed here, such as religion, faith, obedience and trust, that made this book a stellar read for me. Plus, there’s also the fascination with cults and return to society – could this be the next big thing in YA? I’m happy to jump on that wagon!

Thank you to Harper Collins Australia for the ARC. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

Minnow Bly grew up in a polygamist cult, isolated in the forest, illiterate and malnourished. At 17, she somehow escapes the same night the cult's entire homestead burns down, and nearly stomps to death a young man who she encounters upon reaching civilization -- stomps because someone has chopped off both of her hands. Incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility until she turns 18, she slowly reveals her past, partially to an FBI agent investigating the cult and partially in flashbacks.

The cult is not a fundamentalist Christian group. Instead they call themselves Kevinians, after the controlling "Prophet" that leads them. It's a completely whackadoodle religion that I can't see people actually believing, but I suppose stranger things show more have happened. Since Minnow is only 5 when her family joins the cult and wanders off into the wilderness, her memory is a little blurry. But we're supposed to believe that Minnow's father and his fellow factory workers were so desperate to escape the poverty and drudgery of their lives that they followed this bearded lunatic into the wilderness and then blindly followed his teachings for 12 years.

Minnow is a sympathetic character, as she struggles between her natural rebellious, questioning spirit and the obedient follower that she's been raised to be. My favorite character is her juvie roommate Angel, who has drawn an even shittier lot in life than Minnow, and has survived by being fiercely independent, tough, and smart-mouthed. I loved the sharp dialogue between the two girls and the whole glimpse into life in juvie. The contrast between the two "prisons" in which Minnow is trapped works well.

The pace of the novel was so slow, taking nearly 400 pages to finally reveal everything that happened that last night in the cult, but then ending with Minnow's future uncertain, which I really didn't like. I wanted a lot more closure than Oakes gave.

Then there are the plot holes that drove me a little crazy:
After the cult beat Jude to a pulp, someone (Minnow's mother?) dragged him to "safety," but how could he possibly have survived on his own in the wilderness with those injuries? Answer: he couldn't. It's ridiculous. And then of all that wilderness, how did he happen to be in the exact right place when she was picking pears?
If the cult was so isolated that no one really knew they were there, how could Minnow have walked to the city in just one night? Even if they were only 20 miles away, which seems like a conservative estimate to me, it would take more than one night for a seriously injured teenage girl to walk that far through a forest.


One last thing: What is up with the cover art? Minnow's missing hands are a huge part of the story, along with her not being allowed to touch books until after she's left the cult. So who/when/where is that picture supposed to be?

Overall, I think it's a good debut YA novel that could use a little polishing. (But I have to give double bonus points because the author is a school librarian and from Spokane -- PNW representin'!) I'm probably more critical than the average member of the target audience. Considering the violence and language, I would recommend this book for a high school audience, no younger. There's a little bit of implied sexual content, but nothing graphic at all. show less

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes is a young adult horror novel that really just had my full attention from the first sentence. Written A-chronologically, we follow seventeen year old Minnow’s story as she remembers it. For twelve years, Minnow’s been in a polygamist abiding, pro marital power, delusional cult. She rebelled, though, and that cost her more than most people would want to lose – both her hands. Due to some unforeseen circumstances (and a terrible defense attorney), Minnow lands in juvie, where she meets Angel and other unfortunate girls who’ve pretty much been the victims of victim shaming.

Okay, yes, I might have read too much into the characters and their stories, but the sad truth is that the world show more hasn’t changed as much as people believe it has. This book is a statement, and a very loud one at that, about the injustice that happens every day to women and girls. Where the bad guy gets off and the good guy who’s been terrorised and simply stands up for themselves gets the blame. In other words, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly will stay with you and make you think about how unfair the world is.

There are some rather grizzly scenes here and there, but these scenes are important, and frankly I think they’re well written.

All in all, I loved this book. It’s a great read that’ll keep you wanting more, and it deserves to be on your shelf. Also, I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. Hopefully, it’ll be another YA horror, because there’s truly not enough of those in circulation at the moment. show less

"Everyone always assumes it's with hands that people disobey. The Prophet thought so, too. If only he knew, if only everyone knew, my hands were never the source of my disobedience."

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is intoxicatingly, violently, unputdownable. Minnow is 17, handless, in juvenile detention for the brutal beating of a boy. The last twelve years of her life have been spent as a Kevinian, imprisoned in an isolated community in the woods, awaiting God to speak through their Prophet, and surviving disturbing abuses at the hands of those who lead them. But now many members have been imprisoned following a devastating fire and the FBI seeks answers regarding the suspicious death of their leader.

Oakes' story is stunning and show more harrowing as she tackles the hard hitting issues of morality, justice, and the dangers of blind faith with an impeccable voice. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly follows Minnow's emotional journey as she unpacks the traumas of her past, comes to terms with the reality of life without hands, and considers her future and the potential consequences of telling her story in its entirety. Atmospheric, gripping, and powerfully delivered. show less

My heart is ready to burst... It takes a lot for me to be awestruck by a book, but with this one, it was simple. The words wrapped around me and pulled me deep within the soul of the story. Minow Bly captured my every thought and even after the final page, I still didn't want to let go. Her story was tragic, yet inspirational. She grew up knowing only what she was told and when she ends up in juvie everything she knows quickly surfaces as lies. Her mind is opened up to possibilities she never thought possible. Her new prison symbolizes freedom and a new start. She finds friendships in a place that should be depressing and dark. She finds answers she craves and learns to talk through her brutal past in order to set herself free.

It's a show more dark and twisted tale about cult life. I mean the girl's hands are cut off! She is held captive with whacko theories in her brain. Her only escape is Jude and escaping into his arms is a similar prison. He wants to protect her, but doesn't realize that by doing so he is also holding her back from freedom. He has a dark past with secrets that will wreck your heart. He believes is a solace life in the woods and fears the town. He wants them to live a life together secluded from all other humanity. Minnow craves something more though... When she meets Angel, she finally starts to see a future through all of the smoke.

I'm not even sure how to summarize this book without saying that everyone just needs to read it. There are so many unpredictable twists and turns that my brain was swarmed with multiple possibilities. I wasn't sure how everything was going to turn out, but I felt a weight lift off my chest near the end. The story just kind of danced off the pages into beautiful bliss. Minnow finds peace in her own way and even though I still had questions, my heart was content. I definitely urge all to read this one and if you have similar recommendation please let me know! show less