A Keeper: The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson

When my daughter left for college, seven years ago, I had one very real fear: that she would encounter a religious cult. After all, she was going to a secular college where they had a free speech alley. Anyone and everyone could stand in free speech alley to shout their message. And daughter enjoyed her own free speech and message: she walked the campus telling others about Christ, was involved in outreach for the BCM and her church, reached out to the homeless at odd hours and went on mission trips. In my mind, I could see some handsome, exuberant 'christian' talk her into joining him to spread the good news. And then...and then...


My fear was brought back to me as I read The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson. Her characters are likable and the story reads true. I was right in the middle of the evil and believing every word of it. What a story! I've read other novels about religious cults, but never one as good as The Black Cloister.

Dobson's protagonist, Elise Friedman, needs to know her mother's story, and what was behind her mother's death. She risks her own life for answers. Dobson does an excellent job of showing how young people are recruited into cults and brainwashed. A frightening process. Authentic. She also paints a vivid picture of evil.

The Black Cloister grabbed me and wouldn't let me go until I reached the very last page. A week later, Elise Friedman's story is still with me. I think about her, shiver at the horror she faced. Every now and then I find myself wanting to breathe a prayer for her . . .

Thankfully, my daughter was sitting across the room while I read The Black Cloister. If she hadn't been in my sight, I would have called her every few hours to make sure she wasn't talking to strangers.

Aside from getting lost in the story, I learned a lot about the craft of writing.

Melanie Dobson is a master at keeping secrets and sprinkling just enough info to hang on to her reader. There's not one information dump in this entire book. Seems every nuance is strategically placed.

Dobson is also a master at painting a picture of evil without using one curse word. I have many favorite secular writers. It pains me to read profanity in their novels. Dobson proves you can show--yes, SHOW--evil characters without cursing or using God's name in vain.

This book is good. Very good. I wish I had written it. How I wish I could write this well.

The Black Cloister by Melanie Dobson is a keeper.