Cult novel

Cult (novel)

Cult is a 2003 novel by Warren Adler.

Plot introduction

Cult tells the story of a man who loses his wife to a religious cult and is prepared to do everything he can to get her back. With every step, the stakes escalate and soon he is in way over his head.

Plot summary

Barney Harrigan believes his life to be great. He has a well-paying job, a lovely young wife, Charlotte, and a five year old son, Kevin. He sees nothing wrong. But after his wife goes off to visit her sister, she soon decides she is not going to come back. She has discovered the Glories, a religious cult. She feels her life belongs with them and won’t return to her family.

Barney feels that they have captured and brainwashed her. He cannot accept that she willingly joined this cult. He contacts Naomi Forman, an old flame with connections in Washington, D.C., with hopes that she may be able to help get his wife back. He is not satisfied when he learns that the Glories are officially recognized as a religion and little can be done unless there is physical proof his wife is being held against her will.

Barney hopes he can get her away from the cult long enough to have her deprogrammed. He concocts a plan involving their child, thinking he can draw Charlotte out with a promise of handing over their son, then kidnap her and let the deprogramming begin. What he does not count on and does not expect, is Charlotte’s death. It’s labeled a drowning, she slipped into the river and died. Barney believes otherwise. He feels the cult killed her.

Kidnaping Charlotte’s sister and another member of the cult, Barney has a hired hand attempt to deprogram them and force a confession. While occupied with this act, Barney’s attention is taken away from his son, who is kidnapped by the Glories. They want to exchange the son for their two members. The prospect of losing his son along with his wife sends Barney over the edge and he returns to the cult’s base, not with its members, but with a loaded machine gun.

Characters in "Cult"

While Barney is obviously the main character, Naomi Forman is the heart of the story. She is the voice of reason and the most accessible character. She is also the only rational one. Naomi questions the nature of identity and faith. She’s a skeptic, an agnostic. But she acknowledges that while faith is not something she needs, others might. She raises the question of free will. Not in the sense of controlling one’s destiny as compared to a God controlling it, but in the sense that people are individually responsible for what they want to believe. Perhaps, she thinks, Charlotte was not coerced into joining the cult. Charlotte may have found what she needed in the Glories. And if that is true, then Barney has no right to try to take Charlotte away from it. Just because Barney does not agree to it, that does not mean it is wrong.

Major themes

As stated above, the issue of choice is prominent, first and foremost in the novel. The nature of cults is examined. Repeatedly, there are references to Jim Jones, David Koresh, and all the other infamous cults. They were led by self-destructive leaders. Set in a post 9/11 world, the Al-Qaeda are also discussed. They are described as a group of people so set in their beliefs that they will kill thousands in order to further their agenda. These groups form the basis of Barney’s argument, his reason for wanting to get Charlotte back. There’s mention of Scientology as well. And perhaps their inclusion may serve an example going against the norm when examining the notion of a cult. While Scientology is viewed at large as a cult. The term “Brainwashing” is tossed around just as much as it is when discussing more dangerous cults.

The other strong theme depicted is the notion that you do not need to be a part of a cult to do bad things. Barney is ready to kill for what he wants. He has no religious affiliation, but over the course of the novel, he is shown to be no different than the forces he claims are destroying his family. He chastises cults for their violent behavior, but when his world is threatened, he is quick to pick up a gun. The distinction between himself and the cult leaders is no longer as clear as it once was.