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Beyond the Cabin

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Beyond the Cabin

By: Jared Nathan Garrett
Narrated by: Bill Nevitt
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About this listen

Born into a controlling, abusive cult and betrayed by those he trusted, Josh hungers for freedom from the Fundamental Faith in God. After his first escape attempt fails, Josh takes even more solace in a rustic cabin he and his oldest brother made, finding peace in isolation.

After unspeakable tragedy strikes, Josh flounders for hope and anything that will soften the grief threatening to destroy him.

Determined to escape the cult that offers only heartbreak and loneliness, he's stunned by an unexpected connection with one of the other kids in the cult orphanage. That doesn't stop him and he continues to prepare for a final escape.

But when the other kids in the cult need him to protect them and be part of their family, is Josh betraying them by trying to get away?

©2014 Jared Nathan Garrett (P)2017 Jared Nathan Garrett Coming of Age Genre Fiction Fiction Heartfelt Tear-jerking

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I genuinely felt I was listening to Josh's diary the entire time. Whilst there were a couple of shocking events, it was mostly just a record of the daily drudgery of life in a cult. The relentless decimation of the children's personalities as the adults work enthusiastically to turn them into brainwashed drones with no room for self awareness or free thought. The constant fear of punishment and threat of violence was an undercurrent that should shame those in charge to the core of their being. It was genuinely upsetting and so believable, and I had decided well before the end to Google the author and see if I could find out something of his background. It was frighteningly real with no 'Hollywood glamour' added in an attempt to make it more marketable. What was also very real was Bill Nevitt's narration. Now I happen to know that Mr Nevitt is not a 14 year old boy, but he sure sounds like one in this audio book. His pitch, intonation and pronunciation were absolutely spot on for a teenager. Credit where it's due, this wasn't narrating, this was voice acting and we are treated to an Oscar worthy performance. Beyond the Cabin is marketed for 13 years and up, and I'm very much the 'up' part of the scale! It kept me captivated for over 10 hours. Jared Nathan Garrett doesn't set out to shock us, but shocking it is.

Quite shocking

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Beyond the Cabin by Jared Nathan Garrett is not what I expected. This book focuses around a 14 year old boy in Pennsylvania who lives on a cult compound. I could not wrap my mind around not knowing one's father, or living on a commune. Bill Nevitt performed this book brilliantly. He has distinguishable voices for the various characters. I could hear exactly who was speaking. The author included vivid imagery in this story and made some of the characters to be endearing while others were despicable. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review.

Cult life from child's perspective

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I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. It’s a heartwarming but sometimes shocking tale of a young boy who grows up in a cult religion without any real connections or love from anyone. After the loss of his biological brother the boy finally learns to not only stand up agains the horrific abuse going on in the group but also to final forge real relationships with some of the other children of the religion. This is a beautiful coming of age story in many way although in a very different setting to what they normal are in. The excellent Bill Nevitt narration was great as always as well.

Beautiful and heartbreaking

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Although published as a novel, this book is the semi-autobiographical account of the author's upbringing in a breakaway (from Scientology) cult. His mother is the cult leader but doesn't show any love her children. Discipline consists of a huge amount of chores and lines, often directed at the wrong child. Severe beatings also take place, but the children hide their bruises through some feeling of shame or protection of the perpetrator.

Josh is fourteen when his older brother decides he's had enough and leaves without warning. Josh feels betrayed and angry. They had been building a cabin in the woods and this becomes a place of refuge for Josh. Although he lives in a house full of children, he doesn't have any close friends and seems to be constantly at loggerheads with the other boys. Which brings me to my main gripe with the book - the inane conversation between the boys; which seemed to consist of a huge number of insults such as 'jerk', 'moron' and 'idiot'. As the author is writing from his own experience I can only assume that this reflected the level of conversation, but it did make for irritating reading.

As a bird's eye view of life in a cult this was definitely disturbing. The boys pretty much raise themselves, while the older girls become mothers to the younger ones. The children are desperate for love and attention and there is only one adult who shows any level of care at all. The children are educated by the adults who are less effective at begging for funds on the streets; even the teacher herself, didn't understand algebra.

Thankfully, the author is now happily married with a family of his own, but in an interview he does admit that his upbringing has left scars. He tries to show his children infinite love, rejecting the role model of his own childhood.

Finally, I was listening to the audiobook and I should make a mention of the narration by Bill Nevitt, who managed to do the girls voices as well as the boys, without sounding forced.

Life in a cult.

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A well written book about life in a religious cult. It is written from the view point of Josh a 14 year old boy (nearly 15!) who has reached the teenage rebellious stage and is questioning the world he was born into. Josh’s mother Miriam, who is the head of cult, has absolutely no maternal feeling for her children and is dictatorial in the extreme. The children are ill prepared for the realities of life outside “The Faith” as Josh’s elder brother Malachi discovers. All in all a very disturbing insight into life in a religious cult. Extremely well narrated by Bill Nevitt.

Thought Provoking

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