During the loneliness of the pandemic, I dreamed of group settings. Stuck in my apartment, I longed to lose myself in a community of people, or maybe to find myself in them. We’re all searching for that place where we belong, aren’t we? (Unless you’ve already found it, in which case: congratulations, and I’m jealous of you.) But when does a group that promises you belonging become something more sinister? I’m fascinated by groups that turn a bit (or a lot) cult-y — both in writing about them and reading about them.
A Special Place for Women is about Jillian, an undercover journalist who infiltrates a secret club for the tastemaker girlbosses of NYC. The members are rumored to be the Hot Female Illuminati, but their power and influence extend far beyond what Jillian imagined. As she’s sucked into their glamorous world and uncovers their shocking secrets, she’ll have to decide whether to expose them… or to join them.
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This secret society novel about tight-knit students at a liberal arts college is the ultimate in “Is it just a group of really intense friends? Or is it a very small cult?” Tartt’s writing is sprawling and atmospheric, yet somehow also has the breathless intensity of a page-turner. No wonder the devotion this book inspires is in itself a little cult-like.
Montell explores why we’re so fascinated by cults, and how so many of us belong to cultish communities in our own lives without realizing it. Sure, SoulCycle isn’t a cult like Jonestown. But how come the leaders of SoulCycle sometimes use such similar tactics to keep us coming back for more? Through it all, Montell is a whip-smart, funny, and utterly relatable guide.
Anyone who has ever seen a wellness guru post on Instagram knows that alternative medicine can get a little culty. This delightful novel follows an overworked gynecologist who takes a job at a high-end concierge service specializing in “alternative medicine,” drawn in by the perks, the flexibility, and her glamorous new clients and employers.
A woman moves to a new neighborhood where all the wives are high-powered, and their husbands are… suspiciously helpful. How come none of them seem to mind doing all the chores?? And how much will our heroine — whose own husband isn’t pulling his weight — be willing to give up to join her successful neighbors? Baker’s novel is full of Stepford Wives-esque fun.
This one’s a bit different from the other books on my list in that our heroine doesn’t want to get sucked in. It’s court-mandated. When she’s deemed a “bad mother” after a temporary lapse in judgment, the state takes her away from her daughter and sends her to a dystopian school with the other “bad moms.” As the women are monitored, forced to wear uniforms and recite chants, and encouraged to turn on one another, we start to wonder: is the only way to get their children back to go all in? Gripping and unsettling.
5,887 authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about female doctors, cults, and Chinese Americans.
We think you will like The Talented Mr. Ripley, Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Couple Next Door if you like this list.
From Joy's list on ruthless social climbers.
This is a classic psychological thriller about a social climber, complete with murder and stolen identity. There's something about Tom Ripley, who fenagles his way into the upper-crust world of Dickie Greenleaf, son of a wealthy shipping magnate. Ripley is immoral and ruthless, but also needy and sad, a complicated character who evokes sympathy even as he does terrible things. This book asks the question: What if you could take the place of a person who has everything you ever dreamed of? Would you do it? And if you did, how would you keep from getting caught?
From Sarah's list on women’s fiction with gorgeous heartland settings.
This book is everywhere right now, what with the film release. Admittedly, I haven’t watched the movie; however, I devoured this story several years back. Though the mystery and character development are flawless, what really sucked me in was the low-country beauty. At times, the setting was a hostile, lonely place. And yet Owens’ treatment of the setting as a character unto itself draws you back to the book time and again.
From Laura's list on thrillers with killer twists you won't see coming.
I’m a sucker for domestic mysteries, especially those with plenty of twists and turns. The Couple Next Door checks all the boxes for a gripping psychological thriller, one that I tore through in only two sittings. Anne and Marco, parents of one-year-old, Cora, attend a dinner party at the row house next door. Their babysitter suddenly cancelled just before the outing, so they bring their baby monitor to the dinner and take turns checking on Cora every thirty minutes as she sleeps in her crib. All goes well until Anne’s final check of the night, when she finds the crib empty, and Cora missing. But who could have taken her? I love that everyone had a secret to hide in this deliciously mysterious tale, which reveals plenty of dark family secrets and delivers a bombshell ending.
