Book Review: The Poison Garden by Alex Marwood

It's marketed as a thriller rather than a horror, but sometimes the lines blur, and 'The Poison Garden' has enough real-life horror for any scare fan. The book follows three women who become tied up in the machinations of an apocalyptic cult, what life in and around the cult does to them and how it affects them when it all comes crashing down. We follow them in the 'real world' as they struggle to adjust and see how difficult it can be to shake off a lifetime of belief.

I don't want to say too much more because of spoilers, but I was drawn to this through my interest in true crime and real world cults. The Ark in this book isn't real, but Alex Marwood has clearly done her homework. She writes about the kinds of routines, rituals and rules that have permeated many cults and approaches the characters' belief in the End of the World with a thoughtfulness and straightforwardness that made me reconsider just how crazy the notion really is. Is it? I mean, everything ends eventually, right?

Hm. Excuse me, I think I need to go stock up the storm cellar ....