Minor Prophets

by Blair Hurley

“Blair Hurley’s generous, unblinking novel, examines life in and beyond an apocalyptic religious cult, a hallmark of the American condition, the author suggests, for reasons both irrational and justifiable.”— New York Times "A remarkable exploration of what it is to believe, to lose, and to start again." — Kirkus Reviews "Readers will have a tough time turning away from this chilling dive into fanaticism."— Publishers Weekly " Minor Prophets  is a painfully intimate depiction of devotion and betrayal, love and abuse, a cult rendered movingly from the inside. With her stunning, elegant prose, Hurley peers deeply and compassionately at one girl-prophet, at the hurt we cause when we make sacrifices to a higher purpose, and at the ordinary love worth scrabbling toward — Liz Harmer , author,  The Amateurs “A haunting meditation on family, faith, and the devil inside, Minor Prophets follows the daughter of a cult leader as she tries to escape her father’s long shadow. Blair Hurley has managed a rare feat, writing a page-turner with prose so beautiful, you’ll also want to stop and linger over each chapter.”— Laura Hankin , author, The Daydreams " Minor Prophets is a story for our times, but it’s also a timeless story about family and friendship, love and power, staying put and breaking free. It’ll keep you turning pages late into the night, and leave you hollowed out when you turn the last page. If you need a guide for the end times, Hurley’s who you want for the job.”— Rachel Beanland , author, Florence Adler Swims Forever "An emotionally incisive story about survival, complicity, and the long shadow cast by family and faith. Blair Hurley’s characters leap off the page, struggling, stumbling, and continuing to try; I believed in them fully and doubtlessly.”— Lauren O’Neal, editor, Empty the Stories of Leaving the Church Deep in the remote wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Nora is growing up within a militant apocalyptic religious cult. When her father, the group's charismatic leader, discovers his young daughter's gift for speaking in tongues and prophesying, he employs her to recruit people in their community. But as she grows older, Nora begins to question her faith, her father and her predesignated role, and must choose between committing herself fully, or being exiled into the foreign and frightening world beyond. Several years later, Nora is working as a hospice nurse in Chicago, struggling to navigate the baffling customs of the "normal" life she is now leading. When a letter arrives, warning her to "prepare herself," the lockbox of Nora's childhood is thrown open, sending her hurtling back into the shattering truth of what really happened on the day of her escape.

Genres: Fiction, Religion

280 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an engrossing story and character study of a woman who grew up in a religious cult. We see her go through so many stages-from being a devout believer to eventually leaving the cult and struggling to live an adult life. But even when she leaves, there are times that she misses it and still believes in what they were doing. And that’s the scary part of this. There’s this underlying threat throughout the novel that she might go back.

In Minor Prophets we see how vulnerable people are lured in and once they are in just how brainwashed they become. What’s more interesting is we are seeing it from the POV of someone in power who is manipulating these people but at the same time she’s equally brainwashed. I understand why it can be so hard to leave a cult, there’s so much manipulation and indoctrination involved. Overall, this was such an engaging read and the whole time I was hoping for growth from our narrator. That she would find clarity and eventually own up to her culpability. I highly recommend this book, particularly to anyone who has an interest in religious cults.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes: The author is a friend of mine, and I got the book early (official release date 4/18) thanks to pre-ordering.

This is a fantastic second book from Hurley, with excellent writing, suspense, compelling characters, and lovingly-reflected place (i especially appreciated the Chicago scenes since my family is from there so, while I’ve never lived there, I’ve visited a lot. It was a particular treat to see the Cubs’ 2016 World Series win form part of the backdrop for the story). As in her previous book - and as would be expected for a book about a cult escapee - Hurley wrestles a lot with religion and its power to drive us to do both good and evil. I was particularly impressed by how realistic and believable the cult feels; it’s grounded in real religion and research, not just stereotypes or sensationalized accounts one might pull from pop-culture depictions of apocalyptic Christianity. There are also complicated family and interpersonal dynamics that made for sometimes difficult but always compelling reading. The reflections on dying and the interplay between Nora’s present job as a hospice nurse (a field about which, speaking as someone with friends and colleagues in palliative care, I could tell Hurley has done good research) and her past in her father’s cult provided even greater depth to the story. The plot definitely went in directions I wasn’t expecting, but none of the developments felt unbelievable. I also really enjoyed the interplay of past and present action and when different parts of Nora’s backstory are revealed. MINOR PROPHETS is also one of those rare books that are simultaneously suspenseful enough that I wanted to read quickly and make such excellent use of language that i sometimes found myself stopping to savor an especially well-crafted sentence or passage. At the same time, the language didn’t at all feel like it got in the way of or artificially slowed down the story. This is a very hard balance to strike, but Hurley has managed fabulously.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belief is a very powerful belief. Minor Prophets by Blair Hurley explores all-encompassing beliefs and what happens when doubt enters in. When Nora was still a young girl, her father, a Pentecostal pastor in Indiana, moved with her mother and twin brother to a remote compound in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with other members of their church, becoming an apocalyptic militant cult that prophesied the apocalypse to occur in 2009. Early on, Nora discovered that she had the ability to speak in tongues, and her father used her for recruitment of new members and to keep the current members invested in their eternal salvation. Living this life, Nora believed. But when the world didn't end, and her father and their life became stricter, and with Nora growing into a young woman, she starts to question what it all means. We know, though, that Nora gets out. In alternating chapters, we are with Nora in Chicago, where she is a hospice nurse. As Nora visits patients, she's also trying to figure out life on the outside, what it means to live in a society not ruled by religious dictates. What lead to Nora escaping and will she go back is what drives this thoughtful book. Just because she's out doesn't mean she doesn't fully believe anymore, or at least she has to reckon with her beliefs and what she's done. In the process, Hurley creates a world that shows the draw and the danger in extremism. When that's all you know, it is all you know. There's power in that.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know me, I love a good cult novel. And this is a good cult novel.

I think one of the more fascinating aspects of any good cult novel or "losing my religion" memoir is the character's relationship with her family after she leaves the cult. Like in Educated or Unfollow (though those are both real!), the cult-leaver knows intellectually she has to continue to separate herself from her family still in the cult because it's unhealthy and detrimental to functioning as a productive member of society. But it's never that easy. The pull back is strong.

How Hurley treats this question of family is really interesting here. We see our main character Nora in alternating chapters before leaving the cult and after leaving as a nurse in Chicago. Will the pull to return be too much for her, or will she adapt to her new life with the help of friends and a guy who also escaped a cult?

Lovely Midwest imagery and a terrific Chicago setting (a scene at the Cubs' 2016 victory parade!) are highlights of this novel, as is Hurley's ability to create tension and uncertainty. A cult (or religion, generally) is always about certainty. Being able to cast doubt -- both in terms of what the character is thinking (will she or won't she return?), and about our ability to predict what the character will do -- makes this a great reading experience.

[Priya K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5- This was a very engrossing read. I agree with Alix's review - Blair Hurley did a good job at weaving the complex themes and topics covered in this book without it feeling weighed down. Religious cults, death, familial relationships / abandonment / expectation , and more. The end felt a little rushed and a little unrealistic in that this violent group just calmly accepted the final "revelation" - I would have liked to see how that played out. But the final chapter and ending felt right and hopeful while being measured.

[Susan Kietzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nora and her family live deep in the Upper Peninsula woods of Michigan on a religious compound; her father is a doomsday preacher. He discovers Nora can "speak in tongues," and he employs her to inspire the group's members - and to recruit new believers into the fold. Nora becomes disenchanted with the cult and escapes to Chicago. But she has trouble forgetting the land she once called home and the people she called family.

[Lovell Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any fans of Emily St. John Mandel, Blair Hurley's novel paints an elegant portrait of a young woman's struggle to reconcile her present with her past. Hurley has an extraordinary grasp of atmosphere, endowing the Midwest with a dignity and a danger that never feels inauthentic, and she weaves a driving narrative that any intelligent reader will appreciate and savor. Highly recommend!

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, well-paced, affecting, if melancholy, account of a young woman who leaves a militant, Pentecostal cult in the Upper Peninsula led by her father, who used her from the time she was 10 until she was 19 to build the cult. Its treatment of the experience of being in a cult--and the difficulties of building a life outside one--is more complex than most.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should probably like this book more, but I don’t. Fiction is fiction, of course, but research is your friend! My main quibble is with the portrayal of home hospice, that’s just not how it works. (I not only work as a hospice chaplain, but am also an ex-fundie, fwiw)

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/3.75

[Lisa Heinsohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novel about abuses of power and the difficulties of breaking free in religious cults

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing.

[Donna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. Nora and her family are the core of an apocalyptic church that moves to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Nora is the prophet the one through whom the truth is spoken. She leaves and tries to find her life away from the compound as a nurse.