14 June 2022

This book left me in tears. I did not find the story sad as a whole, yet the ending left a tear rolling down my cheek. Perhaps it’s just me getting a little emotional with age. This book gives you an inside look into the life of a young girl who is born and raised in a cult/commune. Her belief system is based on what she has been taught and her complete ignorance about the world. The author examines our need for a better life, our need to believe and how easily that can lead to us putting our trust in the wrong people.

I found myself wrapped up in this story very quickly and spent my final night reading way after midnight. Initially, I was not sure where the story was heading. The character’s dialogue was a little usual and I found myself wondering what period the story was set in. However, as I flicked the pages and learnt more about Edenville and the community’s beliefs I was amazed by the realistic feel the author gave this community. She managed to keep you intrigued from start to finish and ended the story with enough sadness to leave a tear escaping. This was my first-time reading Fiona Cane’s work and I am eager to spend more time with her books. I do get the feeling I might need to stock up my tissue collection first.

Lola has always battled with the rules imposed by her mother and the elders of her community. She loves challenging everything, even when she knows she is risking punishment. When she is called to meet with the leader of the community, she is convinced he knows about one of her many wrongdoings. Yet when he draws her into his inner circle, this causes unrest within the community. Lola has only ever known the confines of Edenville, so when she meets a young man from the outside world, she is suddenly exposed to things she has never heard of, and cannot begin to imagine, yet she realises that there must be some truth in what she is being told. Struggling to understand what is real and what is not, Lola realises that her mother is at risk and she needs to find some answers quickly.

The author did a brilliant job with the characters in this book. Lola stole my heart and I found myself rooting for her from the start. I never would have been able to imagine what life in an isolated commune/cult could be like – until reading this story. The author managed to drop me smack bang centre into Lola’s world. There was no mistaking this girl’s confusion.

At first glance, I believed Esther would be my favourite character. However, the more I learned about her, the more I disliked her. She is an intelligent woman, so how could she possibly believe the things she did? Her love for Lola was never in doubt, yet I still felt that she failed as a mother. The star for me was young Lola. The child had been taught a very specific set of rules and beliefs, never having known anything else. I could understand her love and devotion for Michael. She had a reason for buying into everything – the other character, however, what were they thinking? Can religious belief and a need for a better life so easily lead people to follow one man? That is a frightening thought.

This book was a little beyond my comfort zone, yet I found myself intrigued and amazed and left in tears – so I would say the author did a pretty good job telling her story. Yep, another title added to my 2022 loved list.

If you are looking for a deeply moving book that will leave you looking at the world a little differently, then reaching for Angel Town will not leave you disappointed. The author touches on family relationships and how well we know the people we call family, how a desire for something better and a deep religious belief and easily be turned into something with disastrous consequences.