A hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in yourself The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too. Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows … that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.
Gorgeously written, breathlessly page-turning and sprinkled with moments of unexpected humor, this harrowing debut is perfect for readers of Emily Murdoch’s If You Find Me and Nova Ren Suma’s The Walls Around Us, as well as for fans of Orange is the New Black.
From the Hardcover edition.
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When her hands were taken from her, she changed her world with her feet…
“I used to believe in miracles, I guess I don’t anymore.”
Possibly the most important book I have ever read. Exploring the chaos of the judicial system and how they target those easiest to convict. In this case, an illiterate minor with no hands and no one to fight for her.
“They see what they want, and what they want’s an easy target. The crazy girl who’s been messed up her whole life’s the easiest target of them all.”
More than anything, what people want is closure after a tragedy. Minnow is one such casualty to that desire. Her story was too gruesome, it disgusted people, made them uncomfortable, so they showed her very little compassion. She had the audacity to have a truly shitty life, without the decency of dying because of it. The system doesn’t quite know what to do with her so goes with what’s easiest: lock her away. She could have been put into housing with counselors, could have stayed in a hospital dedicated to rehabilitation and teaching her to read as she should have learned long ago, but instead they decided to take this cult raised, handless girl, and lock her away for an assault that should have been ruled self-defense. Common sense dictated that this traumatized teen was simply scared and confused, and just trying to defend herself anyway she could from a schizophrenic who was advancing on her and grabbing her even when she told him to stop. I mean, did I mention she had NO HANDS? But her very existence made people weary and uncomfortable, and people don’t like being uncomfortable.
The public servants who worked in juvie, restored my faith in humanity a little. I want to believe that all detention centers are like that. Dedicated to their wards education and rehabilitation, but I doubt it.
“How do you avoid becoming a moth?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“No. That’s how you avoid becoming a moth, stop asking people what to believe and find the answers for yourself.”
After watching Sacred Lies on Facebook Watch and finding out it was based on a book, I knew I had to find a copy of the novel! I was beyond happy (and surprised) that my local library had a copy of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes lying around.
Minnow Bly has been part of the Kevinian cult since she was 5 years old. When police find her next to the badly beaten body of a teenage boy, they are shocked to learn that she has no hands. After being placed in juvenile detention, Minnow starts to learn new things about the world. After an FBI agent takes an interest in her case, Minnow must decide if she wants to tell him the truth of what really went on in the cult or if some things are better left unsaid.
The plot for The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was incredibly interesting. Oakes did a fantastic job of making Minnow’s world come to life. I was instantly transported to the settings of The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly quite easily each time I started reading this book. There are some really emotional scenes in this book such as some of the scenes with Minnow and Jude, Minnow’s hands being chopped off, and the scene towards the end with Minnow’s sister Constance. The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was definitely an emotional roller coaster for sure. There were plenty of plot twists throughout the book which would leave me with my mouth hanging open quite a bit. The pacing is perfect throughout this novel. All of my questions were answered by the ending of the book. However, the ending of the book is quite speculative about Minnow’s future.
The characters in The Scared Lies of Minnow Bly were all very fleshed out and realistic sounding. Many times it felt as if I was reading about something that actually happened instead of a fictitious story. My heart went out to Minnow with all she had to go through, but I admired her strength and determination to not be a victim. I loved her curious nature and how she wanted to learn as much as possible. Minnow’s resolve was so strong. I loved Jude so much. He was such a sweet and caring boy who had also been through more than he should. I loved how he wanted to take care of Minnow and how much he truly cared about her. I loved reading about Minnow’s and Jude’s relationship blossoming. Dr. Wilson was another great character. I wish there would have been a bit more back story for Dr. Wilson, but I did like how he cared about Minnow and her story and how he challenged her to think for herself. One of my favorite characters was Angel, Minnow’s cellmate. She’s another who challenged Minnow’s beliefs and wanted to help educate Minnow. It was a nice touch to see this hardened girl really go out of her way to take care of Minnow and to make sure Minnow thrived.
Trigger warnings The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly include profanity, violence, death, sex (though not graphic at all), and brainwashing.
Overall, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly was such a fascinating read. It had such a fantastic plot and a great cast of characters. It was too easy to get lost in their world. I would definitely recommend The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes to everyone aged 15+ who want to get lost in a fantastically written novel! The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly won’t leave you disappointed at all.
Really different book. Thought the story was well written.
I was happily surprised with this gem of a book. It is not my usual go to genre (I tend to steer towards the sci-fi/fantasy genre) but man was I glad I opened this book. All of the characters and events feel so real; nothing over dramatized. I appreciate the tasteful way in which Oakes describes the more gruesome events. This is truly an amazing book with a great story line and an honest message of discovering your own truths.
The characters were interesting and believable and the action was well developed. I was a bit disappointed in the errorsame in geography of the Missoula area. Also, the cult would have needed to purchase their own land, not squat on forest service land and especially not in a wilderness area. But overall, a good read.
Minnow Bly searches for answers to questions she’s not supposed to ask. She’s the person we all wish we had the courage to be.