Oh I just love cult stories. They don’t even have to be overtly sinister cults, the ones camouflaged as back to nature communes, like the Ash Family, will do also. And so I was really interested in this book and quite enjoyed it, albeit conditionally, enjoinment mixed in with frustration at the naïve idiocy of the protagonist. Then again, naïve idiocy is usually something of a prerequisite for these things, mixed in with misguided well intentions and misplaced optimism. Qualities as inmate to cult members as they are to 19 year olds. Youth being wasted on the young and all that is very much the case here, when Berie, the main character, decided to go and live what is in her words an essential life. There is nothing particularly wrong with her life as is, she has a devoted mother who has slaved away and made great sacrifices so that Berie can attend college, but alas the wilderness calls and Berie follows to a remote mountain off the grid commune with a questionably charismatic leader and insane privation disciplines and a vague militant ambition. So the thing with these sorts of stories is that one must sort of compartmentalize aspects of it, you can’t just get into it if you think it’s a personal journey of a stupid young girl and, frankly, their lifestyle is too brutal and unpleasant to have even the initial/recruitment appeal, so it’s all very difficult to intellectually understand or engage with. Berie’s attitude is one of sheer stubbornness turned desperation galvanized fortitude, she’s convinced herself this is the place for her so she stays, which eventually warps her mind into a sort of grave acceptance. Her character doesn’t really have an arc, it seems, even after all that occurs and all she does, Berie still doesn’t seem to get any sort of mental lucidity and it’s probably logical too…why would a mentally disconcerted person get any saner after two years of psychological and physical abuse. She’s someone you might pity, but not like or love. Her journey, though, is certainly a more compelling aspect of the story. At least for those fascinated with cults and psychology of it all. Ash Family is a very 70s throwback, they aren’t mere peace loving agrarians, they are political, they do actions. And, of course, no one ever views themselves as low level criminals or lunatics that they are. It’s such a strange thing, the shared immersive delusion that never lasts and never pans out and attracts a very specific mentality. So yes, all that is there. And the writing is very good, particularly for a debut, terrific nature descriptions, oftentimes outshining the character drama. I’d say this was a good read, with demonstrated potential for greatness, albeit a somewhat frustrating one, mainly due to its denouement, which, although appropriately fiery and working oh so well with the title, was as satisfying action wise as it was underwhelming as far as where we leave off with the main protagonist. Makes you think about whether Berie will ever get her sh*t together or is she traumatized beyond having a normal life. Normally I enjoy characters that don’t belong in the real world as it were, but her solution for it was just too…well, cultish. But, if this rambling review is trying to say something, it isn’t just that agrarian utopia cults aren’t sustainable or that 19 year old are idiots, it’s that this was an interesting book worth reading with something of a poetic language and stunning imagery. Thanks Netgalley.

A young girl on her way to college meets what she considers to be a magnetic man. He convinces her to come with him to a commune. He gives her the impression she is on her way to Utopia. I found this book rather unbelievable and disappointing. The whole concept of the farm where it took place seemed somewhat unrealistic. I would've like to know more about this girl before she took off with this unsavory man. Much of this book was lacking in character development. No I would not recommend this book.

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught a landslide no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the sky and see......anyway the wind blows."

Berie, a seeking/searching 19 year old, decides instead of getting on the plane heading to college, to join an off the grid community with a charismatic father figure.
She wants to live a "real" life close to nature, to be recognized and be loved. But as in the Queen Bohemian Rhapsody quote above, is this real or fantasy? And at what cost?
I find cult literature interesting, a quest to understand how an individual can choose to leave all they love and are, only to lose themselves. Molly Dektar has a lovely grasp of the English language, some descriptions almost lyrical. I look forward to her next publication.

Thank you to publisher Simon Shuster and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Ash Family by author Molly Dektar is a book about doing what makes you happy. What you THINK would make you happy. Full of ambition, the main character quickly finds out that things are not always as they seem. A great book with a great plot!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of The Ash Family in exchange for an honest review.