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Thirty-Seven
The Survivors, their members known only by the order in which they joined, live alone in a rural Colorado mansion. They believe that sickness bears honesty. And that honesty bears change. Fueled by the ritualized Cytoxan treatments that leave them on the verge of death, they instigate the Day of Gifts, a day that spells shocking violence and the group's demise.
Enter Mason Hues, formerly known as Thirty-Seven, the group's final member and the only one both alive and free. Eighteen years old and living in a spartan apartment after his release from a year of intensive mental health counseling, he takes a job at a thrift shop and expects to while away his days as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.
But when his enigmatic boss Talley learns his secret, she comes to believe that there is still hope in the Survivor philosophy. She pushes Mason to start the group over again --
this time with himself as One.
Part Fight Club, part The Girls, and entirely unlike anything you've ever experienced, Peter Stenson's Thirty-Seven is an audacious and austere novel that explores our need to belong. Our need to be loved. Our need to believe in something greater than ourselves, and our ultimate capacity for self-delusion.
Enter Mason Hues, formerly known as Thirty-Seven, the group's final member and the only one both alive and free. Eighteen years old and living in a spartan apartment after his release from a year of intensive mental health counseling, he takes a job at a thrift shop and expects to while away his days as quietly and unobtrusively as possible.
But when his enigmatic boss Talley learns his secret, she comes to believe that there is still hope in the Survivor philosophy. She pushes Mason to start the group over again --
this time with himself as One.
Part Fight Club, part The Girls, and entirely unlike anything you've ever experienced, Peter Stenson's Thirty-Seven is an audacious and austere novel that explores our need to belong. Our need to be loved. Our need to believe in something greater than ourselves, and our ultimate capacity for self-delusion.
269 pages, Hardcover
First published February 13, 2018
21 people are currently reading
779 people want to read
About the author
Peter Stenson
12 books157 followersI’m the author of FIEND (Random House), THIRTY-SEVEN (Dzanc), THE SEXUAL LIVES OF SUBURBANITES (Jackleg Press), and WE, ADULTS (forthcoming from Regal House Publishers). I have over thirty essays and stories published in magazines such as The Sun, The Bellevue Literary Review, The Greensboro Review, and The Southeast Review. I teach creative writing and composition at Colorado State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 24, 2018
https://ensuingchapters.com/2018/04/2...
Whether it’s sociological interest or morbid curiosity, we are fascinated with cults. From Heaven’s Gate and Scientology to NXIVM, we alternately view their members as monsters, martyrs, or victims. Mason Hue, the narrator of Peter Stenson’s Thirty-Seven, is all three.
When we meet Mason he is still a teenager, but of legal age, freshly discharged from a mental institution where he lived after being part of a cult known as the Survivors. The Survivors, who ritually poisoned themselves with chemotherapy drugs to achieve a state of pure honesty, earned notoriety after going on a killing spree and committing mass suicide.
But what happens to Mason, who was 15 at the time, when you survive the Survivors?
Now living in Denver, he has a boss and sometimes-girlfriend Talley, and when she learns his secret she becomes fascinated with the movement’s beliefs. And before long, she’s as entangled in Mason’s narrative as we are.
Thirty-Seven is the early front-runner for best transgressive novel of the year, not only for the story itself (a gritty mind-fuck confessional) but for Stenson’s handling of the narrative. There are many great passages in Thirty-Seven, but perhaps none as stealthy as this one: “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step.”
It’s a simple line, yes, one that you breeze over at first, but at this point in the story Mason (the eponymous Thirty-Seven), is sneaking into his childhood home. In a book filled with violence and philosophy and sex and recreational cancer treatment, why does this seemingly innocuous line stand out?
Because unreliable narrators are fun to read, but difficult to write convincingly. This is the world according to Mason Hues, and time and again, he proves to be untrustworthy, confused, and more than a little dishonest (evasive, at best). At various times he is a huckster, a victim, possibly a psychopathic mastermind.
We don’t know what to make of Mason a lot of the time, but subtle touches like “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step” make him relatable. I’ve never joined a death cult, but, like most teenagers, I learned which steps to avoid when sneaking home late at night.
These are the dark insights that make transgressive fiction so powerful. Pure villains and monsters often lack depth. Anti-heroes can become too cool and charming. But when truly sick and disturbed characters reveal themselves to be all too logical, shit gets uncomfortable.
For me, the gold standard example of this type of line is from Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, “At first I wondered why the room felt so safe. Then I realized it was because there were no windows.”
It’s a moment of familiar comfort followed by a horrific gut-punch. The muscle-memory of footsteps on the stairs reminds us that Mason isn’t well, but he’s not a madman. He’s a logical thinker, as are the others in Thirty-Seven. And that’s what makes this novel so delightfully unsettling.
Full disclosure, Stenson and I were in the same MFA program, but this is a merit-based review (it’s his second novel, and his debut, Fiend, has been translated and published internationally). Many of the elements in this book appeared in his work in the program, and his talent was ever-present. It’s great to see them come together and generate well-earned success.
For fans of transgressive fiction, put this on your summer reading list.
Whether it’s sociological interest or morbid curiosity, we are fascinated with cults. From Heaven’s Gate and Scientology to NXIVM, we alternately view their members as monsters, martyrs, or victims. Mason Hue, the narrator of Peter Stenson’s Thirty-Seven, is all three.
When we meet Mason he is still a teenager, but of legal age, freshly discharged from a mental institution where he lived after being part of a cult known as the Survivors. The Survivors, who ritually poisoned themselves with chemotherapy drugs to achieve a state of pure honesty, earned notoriety after going on a killing spree and committing mass suicide.
But what happens to Mason, who was 15 at the time, when you survive the Survivors?
Now living in Denver, he has a boss and sometimes-girlfriend Talley, and when she learns his secret she becomes fascinated with the movement’s beliefs. And before long, she’s as entangled in Mason’s narrative as we are.
Thirty-Seven is the early front-runner for best transgressive novel of the year, not only for the story itself (a gritty mind-fuck confessional) but for Stenson’s handling of the narrative. There are many great passages in Thirty-Seven, but perhaps none as stealthy as this one: “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step.”
It’s a simple line, yes, one that you breeze over at first, but at this point in the story Mason (the eponymous Thirty-Seven), is sneaking into his childhood home. In a book filled with violence and philosophy and sex and recreational cancer treatment, why does this seemingly innocuous line stand out?
Because unreliable narrators are fun to read, but difficult to write convincingly. This is the world according to Mason Hues, and time and again, he proves to be untrustworthy, confused, and more than a little dishonest (evasive, at best). At various times he is a huckster, a victim, possibly a psychopathic mastermind.
We don’t know what to make of Mason a lot of the time, but subtle touches like “The stairs don’t squeak because I know where to step” make him relatable. I’ve never joined a death cult, but, like most teenagers, I learned which steps to avoid when sneaking home late at night.
These are the dark insights that make transgressive fiction so powerful. Pure villains and monsters often lack depth. Anti-heroes can become too cool and charming. But when truly sick and disturbed characters reveal themselves to be all too logical, shit gets uncomfortable.
For me, the gold standard example of this type of line is from Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, “At first I wondered why the room felt so safe. Then I realized it was because there were no windows.”
It’s a moment of familiar comfort followed by a horrific gut-punch. The muscle-memory of footsteps on the stairs reminds us that Mason isn’t well, but he’s not a madman. He’s a logical thinker, as are the others in Thirty-Seven. And that’s what makes this novel so delightfully unsettling.
Full disclosure, Stenson and I were in the same MFA program, but this is a merit-based review (it’s his second novel, and his debut, Fiend, has been translated and published internationally). Many of the elements in this book appeared in his work in the program, and his talent was ever-present. It’s great to see them come together and generate well-earned success.
For fans of transgressive fiction, put this on your summer reading list.
May 21, 2019
Another debut novel from an indie press, sent to me as the February, 2019 Nervous Breakdown Book Club selection. It is a horror novel with an unique twist. Actually I don't know for sure if it is a unique twist because I have read very little in the horror genre. I listened to the interview with Peter Stenson on the Otherppl podcast and decided to try the book, with trepidation.
Mason Hues, adopted and abused by his adoptive father, ran away from that home and ended up in a cult called The Survivors. In the telling of his story he is an unreliable narrator due to being in denial about a terrible thing he did when he was 15.
While there is plenty of blood with horrible scenes, the book is also about how cults operate and how their leaders are messed up individuals trying to work out their own issues through the cult they created and through the power that gives them over others.
Though it is extremely well written, plot-wise and character-wise with near perfect language and tone, I don't recommend it for anyone but those who like horror or have a strong drive to understand the phenomenon of cults.
This may turn out to be my gateway to the genre. Perhaps I have grown up enough to be a bit more free of the fairy tales I was raised on about life and love and progress and achievement. Evil is alive and well in the world and it takes a lot of courage to confront that, to live a decent life in the face of it, to be able to find the balance between good and evil. Or to deal with the truth that the concept of good vs evil is just another crappy duality humans have devised to make sense of how random life can be.
March 30, 2018
Check out this review and others: https://www.shelfstalker.net/blog/thi...
If you are into cults—and you are, because what red-blooded human isn’t fascinated or at least intrigued by them—this is the cult novel you’ve been looking for.
Mason Hues is anonymous. He lives in a bare studio apartment, his mattress on the floor.
But before he was Mason, he was John Doe, and before that, he was Thirty-Seven, a member of the Survivors, a cult hidden in the mountains of Colorado where he willingly took chemotherapy drugs to make himself sick because sickness bears honesty and honesty bears change, and the change that the Survivors enacted came to shock the nation.
But now he’s Mason. And even though he’s had therapy, the teachings from his time with the Survivors are still coursing through his mind, through his veins. Maybe there’s something to the Truth he was learning. Maybe he can start over, find it again.
This book—what a wake-up call! It is such a gift when you read something that really sings, that is so unique and vivid that you can’t put it down but you want to savor every second. Not many books fit that bill.
This is not a traditional horror novel, but Stenson is not a traditional writer. He does his own thing and he innovates in a way that is not only new, but courageous—and he is not afraid to get dark. His writing digs in deep to your bone—you can feel the needle biting into your skin, the poison filling your veins. The characters aren’t stagnant; they live and breathe on the page.
Though the book is dark—and stays dark—there is a musicality to the language, a lulling repetition to the style that obviously has a lot of thought put into it. It is really a beautifully crafted book hiding in the skin of something deadly. It creates an atmosphere where every time you open the pages you are in Mason’s head, in his thoughts, seeing his vision of honesty and sickness—and almost believing in it.
Similar to his previous book Fiend, this book paints a raw, honest, and chilling picture of addiction and its consequences, though while Fiend focused on a group of junkies who survived the zombie apocalypse because of their drug habit, the addiction in Thirty-Seven (while still drug-fueled) is more insidious—an addiction of the mind.
Stenson has a knack for creating characters who are on the verge: they make bad decisions, they don’t appear to be good or likable people, but somehow when you are in their mind, you can see how they got to where they are and their choices make sense. I found myself sympathetic to Mason throughout the book, though I wasn’t sure if I should be.
I definitely haven’t read anything like this in the genre, or even at all. This book may be a bit unclassifiable—it slants toward the horror aesthetic, but why put it in a box? I want to put this one in everyone’s hands—start a little Survivors cult of my own, if you’d like to think of it that way.
I recommend this. Read it. Reading bears knowledge and knowledge bears power. Therefore reading bears power. You can’t go wrong, really.
If you are into cults—and you are, because what red-blooded human isn’t fascinated or at least intrigued by them—this is the cult novel you’ve been looking for.
Mason Hues is anonymous. He lives in a bare studio apartment, his mattress on the floor.
But before he was Mason, he was John Doe, and before that, he was Thirty-Seven, a member of the Survivors, a cult hidden in the mountains of Colorado where he willingly took chemotherapy drugs to make himself sick because sickness bears honesty and honesty bears change, and the change that the Survivors enacted came to shock the nation.
But now he’s Mason. And even though he’s had therapy, the teachings from his time with the Survivors are still coursing through his mind, through his veins. Maybe there’s something to the Truth he was learning. Maybe he can start over, find it again.
This book—what a wake-up call! It is such a gift when you read something that really sings, that is so unique and vivid that you can’t put it down but you want to savor every second. Not many books fit that bill.
This is not a traditional horror novel, but Stenson is not a traditional writer. He does his own thing and he innovates in a way that is not only new, but courageous—and he is not afraid to get dark. His writing digs in deep to your bone—you can feel the needle biting into your skin, the poison filling your veins. The characters aren’t stagnant; they live and breathe on the page.
Though the book is dark—and stays dark—there is a musicality to the language, a lulling repetition to the style that obviously has a lot of thought put into it. It is really a beautifully crafted book hiding in the skin of something deadly. It creates an atmosphere where every time you open the pages you are in Mason’s head, in his thoughts, seeing his vision of honesty and sickness—and almost believing in it.
Similar to his previous book Fiend, this book paints a raw, honest, and chilling picture of addiction and its consequences, though while Fiend focused on a group of junkies who survived the zombie apocalypse because of their drug habit, the addiction in Thirty-Seven (while still drug-fueled) is more insidious—an addiction of the mind.
Stenson has a knack for creating characters who are on the verge: they make bad decisions, they don’t appear to be good or likable people, but somehow when you are in their mind, you can see how they got to where they are and their choices make sense. I found myself sympathetic to Mason throughout the book, though I wasn’t sure if I should be.
I definitely haven’t read anything like this in the genre, or even at all. This book may be a bit unclassifiable—it slants toward the horror aesthetic, but why put it in a box? I want to put this one in everyone’s hands—start a little Survivors cult of my own, if you’d like to think of it that way.
I recommend this. Read it. Reading bears knowledge and knowledge bears power. Therefore reading bears power. You can’t go wrong, really.
September 30, 2018
WOW. I am so torn on a review of this book. it was, hands down, the most disturbing book I have ever read. Written by a recovering drug addict, I was, at times, physically uncomfortable with both the subject matter and the language. that said ..... I couldn't put it down. the writing and plot line sucked me in completely. The psychological draw to cults that some humans feel is fascinating....horrifying....scary. The plot twist at the end was worth sticking it out.
A great friend recommended it to me, or this would never have been on my radar. So, for those of my Goodreads friends who may read my reviews: I gave this novel 4 stars because I could not put it down or stop thinking about it for a day or two after finishing. It will NOT be to everyone's taste, and you will not "like" it in a traditional sense. Caveat emptor....but if you read it, let me know what you think. 😀
A great friend recommended it to me, or this would never have been on my radar. So, for those of my Goodreads friends who may read my reviews: I gave this novel 4 stars because I could not put it down or stop thinking about it for a day or two after finishing. It will NOT be to everyone's taste, and you will not "like" it in a traditional sense. Caveat emptor....but if you read it, let me know what you think. 😀
October 17, 2018
Read this book because I LOVED Stenson’s first novel, Fiend. I’d say that this book wasn’t as good as his first, but there’s no way he could’ve possibly topped that shit. I mean, that book was amazing. This book was much different but still very good. In fact, this book could very well be the ultimate representation of what a psychological thriller should be. The book is about a kid named Mason Hues who joins this cult called The Survivors. The Survivors is a group of people who have all survived some kind of trauma in life, whether it be the loss of a loved one or some other kind of tragedy. Each member of the cult is assigned a number and given doses of chemotherapy, which of course makes the members sick. The idea is that “Sickness bears Honesty, and Honesty Bears Change.” So in order to change, to truly become a better who seeks Truth, you have to make yourself ill. Ill almost to the point of death. The leader of the cult is a guy named One (aka Dr. James Shepard, a former oncologist) and Mason is known in the cult as Thirty-Seven because he's the thirty-seventh person to join the cult. He runs away from home and joins the cult because his adopted father used to stand in the doorway of Mason’s room and masturbate while Mason slept. He never touched him but obviously he had thoughts about doing so. So Mason gets sick and ends up changing so much that he becomes even more enlightened than One. When you become enlightened, you are granted a Gift of Understanding, wherein you have this sort of all-seeing power where you can see what a person is all about - his motivations, his backstory, his true self. The more enlightened you are, the more Gifts you receive. For a while, living this lifestyle is enough for the cult members until One suggests enacting change through action. Specifically, killing people. This leads to the Day of Gifts, wherein the members kill various people in the society, turning them into what they are - survivors of trauma. Then Mason, since he’s 15 at the time, is taken to a mental institution to get help. After that he’s transferred to juvie and then released into the real world. That’s where the story begins - when Mason reenters the world and tries to find a job, which he does, at a secondhand store called Talley’s Tatters, which is owned by this goth-ish rocker chick named Talley. Talley, feeling bad for Mason, gives him a job and they begin hanging out. Talley thinks Mason’s gay, so she’s all over him, snuggling with him and shit like that. Mason keeps his past a secret by lying about his parents being dead and conjuring up this whole false backstory for himself, which is eventually blown when he and Talley run into a kid that Mason used to know before he ran away. Talley gets pissed and questions Mason about his past, at which point he tells her all about The Survivors and how he’s Thirty-Seven. She withdraws from him a bit, but once she gets over it, she wants Mason to teach her about how to become a Survivor - she says he can become One and she’ll be Two. So they start taking ipecac and vomiting their guts out and losing weight. It’s not as extreme as chemotherapy, but to Mason, it yields the same effect. They begin to experience Gifts of Understanding and they come to the realization that people are gods, only most everybody doesn’t experience their powers because they don’t whittle themselves down the way Mason and Talley do. One night the two are out and they get jumped by some kids. Talley is raped and Mason kills her attacker with a broken beer bottle. After a run-in with the cops, they hit the road and have their own Day of Gifts by killing Mason’s therapist, Dr. Turner, from the mental institution and Mason’s father. They kill Dr. Turner but Mason lets his father go free. During the whole thing, Talley gets hurt and so they go to the cabin where Mason first found The Survivors. There it’s revealed that Mason wasn’t a Survivor at all, that he’d read a book about The Survivors whilst in the mental institution and came up with this whole backstory for himself. At least that’s how it seems. Mason drops Talley at the hospital and then goes to visit One in jail to ask him whether or not Mason really is Thirty-Seven, whether all he remembers was real or imagined. One is very cryptic but then sort of seems to indicate that Mason was indeed Thirty-Seven. The end. Question mark ending aside, this was a hell of a book. Like I said, while it wasn’t Fiend, it was still very good. I read somewhere that somebody said this was sort of like Fight Club, that it had that whole cult-that-breaks-themselves-down-to-build-themselves-back-up vibe, and I suppose that’s true. I mean, that was the crux of Mason’s beliefs. BUT Fight Club was more satirical while this skewed MUCH closer to reality. After all, it turns out that Mason killed his father for abusing him and that was why he was shipped off to the mental institution. And Mason was so fucked up from the whole experience that he fashioned this whole backstory for himself to escape the fact that he was abused. If that ain’t a psychological thriller, I don’t know what is. The book also really took you into the mind of somebody who was sexually abused, and it showed how that abuse fundamentally changes who you are as a person. What’s ironic is that Mason was constantly questing for Honesty and yet he hid his own Truth from himself because Truth can often be much more painful than the lies we tell ourselves. The book definitely had a powerful message in that way. I also really liked how the book was written. Stenson doesn’t go in for complicated words and/or self-indulgent exposition. Rather, the sentences were economical, sparse, and just did what they needed to do. And because of that, the book moved along at a breakneck pace and had a lyrical, musical quality to it. It packed quite a punch in just 269 pages. I also liked how the book jumped back and forth between Mason’s time with The Survivors and present day as he and Talley began their own version of The Survivors. While it kind of took away from the pace of the story, his storytelling style was so rat-a-tat that it didn’t matter much when there were flashbacks. Also, I’m not sure it would’ve had as strong an impact if it’d been told in a linear fashion. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll most definitely read whatever Stenson writes next.
January 9, 2024
books and movies and shows about serial killers or cults literally give a blueprint to psychopaths about how to murder, how to create a following, etc without being caught. this was one of the weirdest books i’ve ever read with the most thought provoking last half
February 24, 2023
imagine writing a great book and then ruining it with the ending (◡︵◡)
July 20, 2020
This book feels like a cultish drug trip, which is probably a very accurate descriptor honestly.
I wouldn’t be doing this book justice of I didn’t address the writing style. At first I started noting all the syntax errors. That stuff doesn’t bother me (as long as it doesn’t get in the way of understanding), but I went to school for that shit so its just a part of me now. (Deal with it.) The rambling, almost manic pace and tone of the writing really made me feel like I was inside of Thirty-Seven’s mind as he grappled with his past and his present. It drew me in. Good on you, Pete.
But also, Pete: you alright, buddy? This concept is pretty fucked up. And I like it. It had a very strong spiritual/pseudo-spiritual vibe as Thirty-Seven strove to be a better One. I was concerned at first that the author was riding on the strength of his concept (rather than both the strength of concept and skill as a writer), but his writing style fit the genre and concept perfectly, and mixed to form a very intriguing story that I can’t wait to dive into again.
Also, I’m a SUCKER for unreliable narrator quandaries, and damn if this novel didn’t satisfy that for me. I felt many layers to the unreliable narrator aspect, and they kept building through out the course of the novel. It started as just “oh, you were in a crazy ass cult that purposefully went through chemotherapy because they believe this brings them revelations about reality? Cool, cool.” but evolved to .
We also see this evolution of unreliability build as the relationship between Thirty-Seven/One and Talley/Two. On Page 171, Talley/Two states “Because that sort of intimacy has a way of clouding the search for Truth.” But later, Talley/Two and Thirty-Seven/One because intimate together. So not only do they seem unreliable from an outside perspective, they eventually become unreliable from inside their own belief system. They are truly and completely losing themselves. It’s wonderful.
Also, after I finished reading, I saw that the back cover called it a “Booklist Top Ten Horror Books of 2018."
So…
I think I just read my first horror book?
Yay for me?
I wouldn’t be doing this book justice of I didn’t address the writing style. At first I started noting all the syntax errors. That stuff doesn’t bother me (as long as it doesn’t get in the way of understanding), but I went to school for that shit so its just a part of me now. (Deal with it.) The rambling, almost manic pace and tone of the writing really made me feel like I was inside of Thirty-Seven’s mind as he grappled with his past and his present. It drew me in. Good on you, Pete.
But also, Pete: you alright, buddy? This concept is pretty fucked up. And I like it. It had a very strong spiritual/pseudo-spiritual vibe as Thirty-Seven strove to be a better One. I was concerned at first that the author was riding on the strength of his concept (rather than both the strength of concept and skill as a writer), but his writing style fit the genre and concept perfectly, and mixed to form a very intriguing story that I can’t wait to dive into again.
Also, I’m a SUCKER for unreliable narrator quandaries, and damn if this novel didn’t satisfy that for me. I felt many layers to the unreliable narrator aspect, and they kept building through out the course of the novel. It started as just “oh, you were in a crazy ass cult that purposefully went through chemotherapy because they believe this brings them revelations about reality? Cool, cool.” but evolved to .
We also see this evolution of unreliability build as the relationship between Thirty-Seven/One and Talley/Two. On Page 171, Talley/Two states “Because that sort of intimacy has a way of clouding the search for Truth.” But later, Talley/Two and Thirty-Seven/One because intimate together. So not only do they seem unreliable from an outside perspective, they eventually become unreliable from inside their own belief system. They are truly and completely losing themselves. It’s wonderful.
Also, after I finished reading, I saw that the back cover called it a “Booklist Top Ten Horror Books of 2018."
So…
I think I just read my first horror book?
Yay for me?
April 3, 2018
To say this book was haunting is an understatement. This is the story of a teenager who has a disturbed past, looking to find a place where he belongs. His need to belong, and the utter belief he develops from finding his sense of belonging in a terrifying cult is haunting because it is completely realistic. By that, I mean there are indeed people in this world who will search for belonging and belief anywhere.
Thirty-Seven is the actual NAME of the character, though he goes by a few others during the course of the story. Frankly written and as blunt as an anvil in its presentation, this story challenges readers to re-evaluate what they claim to believe, and just how honest they think they are to others and to themselves.
As for the star-rating being only a 3, I knocked off two just based off the fact that the entire premise felt almost too real based off of news stories that have happened in the real world in the past two decades. The story itself was good, but personally, I prefer to hold out hope that humanity's newsmakers will be better than what this story depicted. I didn't not like this novel, but it certainly was not my favorite, either.
Thirty-Seven is the actual NAME of the character, though he goes by a few others during the course of the story. Frankly written and as blunt as an anvil in its presentation, this story challenges readers to re-evaluate what they claim to believe, and just how honest they think they are to others and to themselves.
As for the star-rating being only a 3, I knocked off two just based off the fact that the entire premise felt almost too real based off of news stories that have happened in the real world in the past two decades. The story itself was good, but personally, I prefer to hold out hope that humanity's newsmakers will be better than what this story depicted. I didn't not like this novel, but it certainly was not my favorite, either.
May 30, 2018
This was a disturbing book. It would make a great , disturbing movie, kind of along the lines of Fight Club, I imagine. Here's the plot: A young adult is out in the world making his way, but, boy, does he have a past. Seems he just came out of stint in a psych ward after being "rescued" from a cult. The cult was run by an oncologist who took people in and gave them chemo drugs to create a "sickness" that would bring them to "Truth." It doesn't stop there, but I won't spoil it. Now, the interesting part is how much this young adult, aptly named Thirty Seven from his cult days misses his "Family." Thus, the real story outside the cult story begins. How far will he go to regain what he has lost? What really happened within the family? Who is Thirty Seven really? I was hesitant to read this because I though it would be spy like or medical, but it is not - it's much more psychological and haunting. If you are not taken in by this, well, you are missing out.
October 4, 2018
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the ARC of this book. Wow, this was soooo creepy!!! It is the story of a teenager who was in a cult for three years until the cult is disbanded by the police for their illegal actions, many illegal actions I might add. The teen, Mason, seems to be doing ok without his cult after a lot of therapy and also being incacertated....he has a job and an apartment and he makes friends with his boss. As the story progresses, it is obvious that he is still completely brainwashed and living while still following the beliefs and actions of the cult that are so ingrained in him. He starts to spin out of control when his one friend (boss) wants him to restart the cult with her. This is truly scary glimpse into the mind of someone completely brainwashed and how it happened from the beginning. I could not put it down! Excellent read!!
July 20, 2018
Dude. This book is dark and twisted and I couldn't put it down. I should have been asleep three hours ago but I needed to finish.
I like the style. I like the story. I can't help but wonder at the detail and inspiration.
I feel almost like I've just emerged from a life inside a cult commune. I was fully engaged with the philosophy and it made sense for me to be there. But I'm glad to be back to my own version of the real world. Stenson's version scares the hell out of me.
I like the style. I like the story. I can't help but wonder at the detail and inspiration.
I feel almost like I've just emerged from a life inside a cult commune. I was fully engaged with the philosophy and it made sense for me to be there. But I'm glad to be back to my own version of the real world. Stenson's version scares the hell out of me.
May 15, 2018
Oh, this was a good one! Great storytelling through two timelines, footnotes and memory. I wanted to put the book down, but simply could not because I had to know what happened next.
A cult in Colorado, echoes of the Manson Family and the psychology of abandonment, belonging, abuse and religion. Definitely flavors of Fight Club, up until and through the very twisty end.
Recommended!
A cult in Colorado, echoes of the Manson Family and the psychology of abandonment, belonging, abuse and religion. Definitely flavors of Fight Club, up until and through the very twisty end.
Recommended!
April 18, 2018
Good book. Disturbing? Yes.
May 17, 2018
This book was really weird but awesome! The story was not predictable and made it a really fast read.
August 26, 2018
Outstanding novel about the thoughts of a person joining a cult. It shows the appeal of a "family of your own choosing". Turns the mind upside-down; very creative.
June 1, 2019
Dreadful. More painful to read the further I got along.
June 10, 2021
Stenson’s Fiend put a uniquely addicting spin on the end of the world, and Thirty-Seven does the same for cults. Whatever Stenson throws at us next, I cannot wait.
February 1, 2019
All eighteen-year-olds seem to struggle with issues of identity and belonging, but Mason Hues just might be the most extreme example. When he is first introduced as the narrator in Peter Stenson’s novel Thirty-Seven, he is not even sure which name to use. In fact, Mason began life unnamed until his adoption by an upper-class couple who raised him in a life of privilege. Mason is permanently scarred, however, after one of them repetitively abused him as he entered adolescence. Mason describes how he reinvented himself by running away at fifteen to join a “new family of his own choosing,” – a cult led by a former oncologist whose followers used unnecessary chemotherapy drugs to induce illness. The core tenet of the group (later infamously known as “the Survivors,”) was the belief that experiencing life-endangering sickness can elicit profound truth, connection and insight. Mason is dubbed Thirty-Seven, denoting the order in which he joined the cult and to completely obliterate his past. As he relates his story, Mason often refers to a book written about the cult after a catastrophic event that left him as its sole survivor and witness. Now, he is trying to start fresh once again in anonymity, having been released from a stay at a mental institution. Still struggling against the brainwashing he received, Mason lands a job at a thrift store run by a young woman with scars of her own. He becomes increasingly unsure about his life’s purpose and is tempted to reconstruct another group based on The Survivors’ ideas. This juxtaposition of identities- whether real, self-composed or assigned by others- is treated in a unique way by Stenson in this odd bildungsroman. A thoughtful premise and some unexpected twists make Thirty-Seven an interesting choice for readers who can stomach some darkness and despair. The novel would have greatly benefitted by more editing in terms of its length and grammar, and it appears overly-repetitive at times. The depictions of violence, illness and abuse are fairly graphic and those who could be sensitive to those issues might not want to venture too far into the mind of Mason Hues.
Thanks to Dzanc Books and Edelweiss for an ARC of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.
Thanks to Dzanc Books and Edelweiss for an ARC of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 29, 2021
I find cults intriguing and I'm often surprised by how few fiction books I can find focusing on the topic so I was initially pleased about finding Thirty Seven. The last book I read which claimed to be about survivors of a cult only used the cult as an afterthought that was never actually explained (because it was just a pretense for a substandard murder mystery). This one actually went into intense detail about the cult's appeal and the aftermath of its effect on a young survivor. On top of that, it's pretty well-written (I read an advance copy of this book but the grammar mistakes were pretty sparse) and engaging.
The narrative jumps around over the course of 3 years, showing the teenage protagonist's introduction to the cult, his time in it, his interactions with a therapist after, and his present day friendship with a lonely girl he finds common ground with. This book was all primed to be a 4-star book for me until it took a pessimistic turn about two thirds in.
I thought it still had plenty of chances to turn back and salvage a beautiful story about redemption and recovery through discovery of one's self but that's... not the direction the author wanted to go in. The last third or more of this book is an increasingly depressing sympathy-cringe that makes you feel an uncomfortable mix of pity and hatred for the pair.
I'm not one to claim that all books MUST have a happy ending. Sometimes that is just not the story the author wants to tell and I love the occasional downer ending but I feel like it has to have meant something and ultimately I feel like no one in this book learned anything of value and literally everyone was worse off for having experienced the events of the novel. For me, that pinged it down a star. The incredibly violent ending (complete with dog and child murder) didn't help much either.
The narrative jumps around over the course of 3 years, showing the teenage protagonist's introduction to the cult, his time in it, his interactions with a therapist after, and his present day friendship with a lonely girl he finds common ground with. This book was all primed to be a 4-star book for me until it took a pessimistic turn about two thirds in.
I thought it still had plenty of chances to turn back and salvage a beautiful story about redemption and recovery through discovery of one's self but that's... not the direction the author wanted to go in. The last third or more of this book is an increasingly depressing sympathy-cringe that makes you feel an uncomfortable mix of pity and hatred for the pair.
I'm not one to claim that all books MUST have a happy ending. Sometimes that is just not the story the author wants to tell and I love the occasional downer ending but I feel like it has to have meant something and ultimately I feel like no one in this book learned anything of value and literally everyone was worse off for having experienced the events of the novel. For me, that pinged it down a star. The incredibly violent ending (complete with dog and child murder) didn't help much either.
August 18, 2024
4.5/5
Wow wow wow .... something about this book called to me in the library and it was everything I've been wanting to read. I love reading books about cults, fiction or non-fiction, and this just hit everything I love. It flips back and forth between past and present, following an 18 year old who ran away to be in a cult at the age of 15. I can't lie and say this book isn't pretentious in its writing because it most certainly is. However, sometimes pretentiousness works really well to draw the reader into the story and I think this did it perfectly.
This was the perfect length and it never lingered too much at any certain point in the story. The characters, although unlikable for the most part, were just too fascinating to read about. I will say though that the main female character did fall under the "manic pixie dream girl" in that I never felt she was given enough consideration. A lot of her story and actions felt just perfect enough for the main male character's story to keep going and that kind of sucked. But wow that ending hit! My jaw was open the whole last chapter.
Not a complete five star because this is definitely a book I want to revisit; it just feels like little things went over my head.
Wow wow wow .... something about this book called to me in the library and it was everything I've been wanting to read. I love reading books about cults, fiction or non-fiction, and this just hit everything I love. It flips back and forth between past and present, following an 18 year old who ran away to be in a cult at the age of 15. I can't lie and say this book isn't pretentious in its writing because it most certainly is. However, sometimes pretentiousness works really well to draw the reader into the story and I think this did it perfectly.
This was the perfect length and it never lingered too much at any certain point in the story. The characters, although unlikable for the most part, were just too fascinating to read about. I will say though that the main female character did fall under the "manic pixie dream girl" in that I never felt she was given enough consideration. A lot of her story and actions felt just perfect enough for the main male character's story to keep going and that kind of sucked. But wow that ending hit! My jaw was open the whole last chapter.
Not a complete five star because this is definitely a book I want to revisit; it just feels like little things went over my head.
May 2, 2023
Stenson's debut novel, Fiend, blew me away with its creative endeavor to capture fascinating people in fascinating situations. In Fiend, it was a zombie apocalypse where our hero is in love with a girl and his meth; and he's not sure which one is truly saving him. Fiend ended with a bang, and so coming into this read, my high expectations met an interesting premise and the question of if Stenson could amaze me again.
He did. I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of cult books, but I am a huge fan of Stenson's characterization and honesty. His prose is beautiful and simplistic. The story of Thirty Seven's homelife abuse and adventure to discover truth and love is brilliant and powerful. The narrative arc is unpredictable and gripping. Stenson frames Thirty Seven's story as an autobiography by a serial killer who believes in supernatural powers bestowed upon him by their cult leader.
Stenson did it again. I'd be remiss to spoil anything more than that.
He did. I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of cult books, but I am a huge fan of Stenson's characterization and honesty. His prose is beautiful and simplistic. The story of Thirty Seven's homelife abuse and adventure to discover truth and love is brilliant and powerful. The narrative arc is unpredictable and gripping. Stenson frames Thirty Seven's story as an autobiography by a serial killer who believes in supernatural powers bestowed upon him by their cult leader.
Stenson did it again. I'd be remiss to spoil anything more than that.
October 21, 2019
One of the strangest books I’ve read. I’ve heard it referred to as zombie fiction. Not sure what that means but I will say that I wanted to stop reading this book so many times. It was a difficult story to get through. Why three stars ? Because I finished it and that’s a credit to really good writing. Even though I didn’t like reading about people in cults destroying their bodies, the writing was just so good that I kept at it. Would love to hear what others thought.
June 28, 2022
2.5 rounded up to three.
I understand this book is about what is honesty and truth. It is also about cults, and the way they can change one’s perception of reality. It is even about how truth can be manipulated. All of these elements are interesting individually, let alone mixed together.
The story was a quick read, and had a promising premise. Ultimately I found it lacking however. I got to the end and wanted something more from it.
I understand this book is about what is honesty and truth. It is also about cults, and the way they can change one’s perception of reality. It is even about how truth can be manipulated. All of these elements are interesting individually, let alone mixed together.
The story was a quick read, and had a promising premise. Ultimately I found it lacking however. I got to the end and wanted something more from it.
May 20, 2019
Too creepy for me to enjoy, though decently written with a nice twist at the end. I just read the last page and feel like I need to dose myself with something happy and positive to shake off the gloom and gore. Note to self: don’t ever real a book about a cult again. And don’t finish late at night.
July 24, 2019
It’s no “Fiend,” but there’s an undeniable, if not quite enjoyable, tension as the two leads descend into madness. The big twist at the finale proves an apt metaphor for post-adolescent emotional bankruptcy, but it renders the reader a fool for ever caring about the narrator. Just because a twist passes the logic test doesn’t mean it’s the best idea.
March 27, 2022
I'm really not into reading about fictional cults and I received this book from a book club. This cult gives themselves chemotherapy because sickness bears truth and honesty. Really? I got sick of hearing about the philosophy because none of it made sense. I guess that's why it's a cult because most people can smell the bullshit a mile away. Tbh, i was just glad when I finally finished it.
March 30, 2018
Maybe I don’t understand why people join cults so I couldn’t identify with the two protagonists. The storyline, filled with personal agony, child abuse, false gods, violence and a warped sense of love, left me hating this book.
December 20, 2018
I don't even know how to categorize this book or how I would describe it to anyone. I would definitely liken this author to Chuck Palahniuk. The book is thought-provoking, disturbing and difficult to put down. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an engrossing read.
January 9, 2019
I am terrified how seamlessly I went from fascination to despair: Stenson managed to draw me in with a promise of Honesty but left me desperate and helpless. By the time I realized what had happened, it was already too late.
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