Lost Promises: Revisiting the Circumstances of My Sister's Death in a Religious Cult

by Myra Shuster

Promises My Sister and I Made follows two deeply connected young sisters from Montreal who grew up in a secular home, but yearned for a sense of purpose, meaning and fulfilment beyond the material comforts their suburban life offered. Imbued with their parents’ disillusioned idealism as members of leftist movements in 1950s Montreal, the sisters are drawn to spiritual paths that promise personal and collective transformation. With imaginations sparked by the freespirited ethos of the Summer of Love, and lyrics instilled in them from their parents’ nostalgic folk songs, New Age movements beckon. Sharon visits the Creative Community Project, a commune in San Francisco in the late 1970s, and the author follows. They both fall prey to the manipulative brainwashing techniques of the Unification Church, known as the Moonies.

The author returns to Montreal soon after, and as she grapples with her own process of disentanglement from the cult, she prepares to assist her sister to do the same during Sharon’s planned visit home. Just weeks before her anticipated visit, tragedy strikes. Sharon dies in mysterious circumstances while fundraising for the Moonies. The author recounts her legal investigation into her sister’s death and takes us on a return journey to San Francisco in search of closure, to revisit the place she and Sharon last saw each other. She offers insights to those who grapple with the impact of cults. Exploring two promises the sisters made—Sharon’s vow– to ‘never leave Myra forever,’ and the author’s pledge, made soon after Sharon died, to live for both of them—the author blends letters, dreams, journals, and legal documents that shed light on Sharon’s short life and honour their relationship, revealing an enduring bond not broken by death.

Engaging travel writing and poignant reflection are two of the author’s gifts to her readers, who witness her working with the grief of sibling loss and finding peace through writing.

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[Eileen]

The wounds of loss never full heal. They live with us – in our memories, our souls, and our bodies. Even when looking for closure often new openings arise that invite us to redefine what closure can mean when we lose someone we love and there are far too many questions and far too few answers found.

It is in this vein that the author shares her personal journey searching for answers to her beloved sister’s sudden and mysterious death decades ago. In search of meaning and spiritual connection, her sister found her way to a cult (known as the “Moonies”) and never came home.

The author writes from a deep, authentic place sharing her pain and her deep, never-ending love for a sister gone from her life far too soon.

The writing is superb but more importantly the story reminds us how precious and fleeting life can be yet love endures.

Eileen Chadnick, Author of Ease: Manager Overwhelm in Times of Crazy Busy (www.Easerx.com)

[Archee Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking yet fulfilling

A rollercoaster of emotions from a timeline perspective of before and after. When a loss so great affects your very being by crippling you in fear, only a journey to the past can redeem you. This search for truth and answers winds through a list of people; bit players, stars, and audience. It took great courage for Myra to face her past and chase the demons from her hellish imaginings. A brave and uplifting story of motivation.