See You In September finds Cassy off on the trip of a life time to New Zealand with her boyfriend when things don’t quite go to plan. Her and her boyfriend break up and she finds herself staying on a sustainable farm in the mountains with a welcoming group of people. Overwhelmed by the charismatic leader, Justin, Cassy finds herself staying much to the disappointment of her friends and family back home. Will her family get her back before Justin’s prophecised last day?
As expected this was an easy addictive read that I consumed in a single afternoon. I have not read a novel set in a cult setting before and I thoroughly enjoyed this new perspective. The book is told from the perspective of Cassy, who falls under the cult’s spell and from the perspective of hr mother back in England, which I thought was very important as it showed the ramifications of Cassy’s actions on her family and friends. The guilt, the anger, the grieving and the question of how to explain her absence to every one else.
I thought this was particularly well written as it gives a rounded outlook on living in a cult. The reader can see the manipulations and tricks used, all the warning signs and the negative aspects of this type of situation but the reader is also shown the (much smaller) positive aspects that can be taken form that way of life. The sustainable living, the simplicity, the real family and friends with relationships without social media or technological distractions. How much a positive influence t could be, if it wasn’t warped into something depraved, in all honestly many of us could taken some of these simple lessons into out own lies.
I still struggled to appreciate exactly how cosy was brainwashed into her situation so easily, probably because I know I couldn’t have been entrapped in the same way, if only because I could never be swayed to cut off my family. However, it was a captivating story building to a devastating climax (not a spoil, the reader is aware of this from chapter one). I do recommend this read in particular if you have an interest in the psychological aspect of how people are influenced in this way. A great read well worth your time. I give See You In September three airplanes bringing Cassy to the beautiful, yet dangerous, country of New Zealand.
