***Trigger warning: cult indoctrination, psychological and emotional abuse

Dunn by Kay Jay is an unnerving look at cultish brainwashing. Charity collector Aidan Dunn gets the tables turned on him when he tries to sign Sophie Harris up for his charity of the week. Instead, she eventually gets him to come to a Salvation Program meeting, where he decides to join the Saviours program. At first, the group seems like a useful support group. It soon proves to be anything but beneficial.

Despite the notion that they are a ‘family’, group members are encouraged to outmaneuver one another, and they are shamed and ridiculed all in the name of ‘spiritual progress’. They are derided if they don’t meet recruitment goals, which quickly becomes the focus of all the meetings. As Aidan works through the phases of the program, he gets reeled in, bound tighter than a fly in a spider’s web, to the detriment of friendship, work obligations, and relationships. Though he has the stray twinge of misgiving, Aidan develops a masterful recruitment plan.  When he comes up with a unique franchise scheme, he has to make a choice between his heart and his ambitions. But as his ambitions grow, so do his misgivings. Is the Salvation Program really worthy of its name?

I felt skeezy reading this, in the same manner I once felt when reading John Grisham’s King of Torts. That’s a good thing though. These vile practises, be it cults or tort lawyers, should cause outrage and discomfort in the reader. Both are a bunch of sleazy con artists wreaking havoc in the lives of the weak, the vulnerable, the disenfranchised. It makes me furious to think that these practises actually go on, and are considered legal, if unethical.

This was horrifyingly realistic, if tame on paper. The cult indoctrination was vicious. The members were given bad advice that encouraged them to damage familial and friend relationships by suggesting that people weren’t treated right as children, or that a skeptical partner was holding them back. They were told they were failures, and not living up to their potential, that they weren’t committed to the Program if they weren’t meeting recruitment goals. It didn’t matter if they had other jobs or responsibilities. Those were second or third place priority. Things got even worse once the retreat opened, and you could see how they wanted to run it for maximum trauma.

It was interesting to see how these types of cons rope you in, then tear you down, not with the intention of rebuilding a better person, but with that of pissing on your dessicated husk once they sucked you dry of money and energy. The group leaders don’t care about the lesser members, save for what they can pay. And, if course, if you can’t pay, then you’re a failure. I’ll be honest, though. I didn’t really like any of the characters. Aidan isn’t all that likable. Even though he started to have misgivings, he still participated in the mental scarring of dozens. He had the guilt and shoved it away, which is worse to me than feeling you are entitled to ruin people’s lives. I think we aren’t supposed to like any of the characters though.

So, why three stars? The story seemed rushed, especially toward the end. While some story lines wrapped up, others didn’t, leaving much unexplained. I also found the ending to be abrupt. There’s the possibility of a sequel, but I’m not convinced it’s the author’s intention. Still, if you like stories of psychological drama, or you’re interested to have a peek at how cults operate, this book is worth checking out.

***Many thanks to Netgalley, Troubadour/Matador, Silver Dagger Tours, and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.