The Word - by Mary G Thompson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"After her parents split up, seven-year-old Lisa's father convinces her to leave out the window in the middle of the night. After all, according to their religion, she belongs to him, and it is her duty to obey him. Ever the dutiful daughter, at least on the outside, and confused about the sinful changes in her mother (she's cut her hair, there's a new man around, she's had a baby with him), Lisa complies. She spends the next nine years on the run before the police finally catch up with her father, and she is returned to a mother who is "dead" in the eyes of their religion. But her father always had a plan for when the law came and took what was his--a plan that was set in motion the moment the police arrived at their home. Now Lisa must make a decision: follow the plan and go home again with the hope that she'll see her brother and father again, or risk everything to figure out what life could be when she makes her own choices."--

Book Synopsis

Lisa's father kidnapped her to keep her in a cult at age seven. Nine years later, she has the chance to live a new life--but is she ready to leave the cult behind?

After her parents' divorce, seven-year-old Lisa's father convinces her to leave home in the middle of the night. After all, according to their radical religious beliefs, she belongs to him, and it is her duty to obey him. Ever the dutiful daughter--at least outwardly--and confused by the sinful changes in her mother, Lisa complies.

For the next nine years, Lisa and her father go from place to place--hiding out in a rural town populated by the cult, living on the streets, and preaching the Word. She is taught that her mother, who divorced her father and left the cult, is deemed "dead" by the Word's doctrine--a shell without a soul. The only school she's allowed to attend is one run by one of the cult's community leaders. They forbid reading books or watching television. She has to be small, quiet, and modest.

When the police finally catch up with them, Lisa returns to her mom's home in Oregon--a home with freedoms that Lisa has never really known. But her father has a plan to take back what's his--a plan that was set in motion the moment the police arrived at his home. Now Lisa must make a decision: follow the plan and go home with the hope that she'll see her father again, or risk everything to figure out what life could be when she makes her own choices.

Review Quotes

"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. A compelling story of self."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Spine-tingling [...] Thompson deftly highlights the injustices of the American legal system regarding child abuse and parental rights all while presenting an engrossing cult thriller."
--Publishers Weekly

"A unique story about the turmoil of leaving a religion or any body of thought that you grew up with; a general purchase."
--SLJ

"Lisa's first-person narration is vulnerable and deeply conflicted [...] The conclusion is a mix of grief, regret, hopefulness, and love, and Thompson trusts readers to be comfortable with ambiguity that mirrors Lisa's own complex feelings [...]"
--BCCB

About the Author

Mary G. Thompson is the author of Amy Chelsea Stacie Dee, which was a winner of the 2017 Westchester Fiction Award and a finalist for the 2018-2019 Missouri Gateway Readers award, as well as several sci-fi/fantasy novels for children and young adults. She lives in Washington, DC.