The Cresswell Plot

Gr 9 Up—Castley (Castella) Cresswell is a triplet and one of six children born to a self-styled prophet of the Lord, who is content to rule his family's insular and fundamentalist religious "cult" from a dilapidated home in the woods of upstate New York. Father has written his own confounding book of revelations and beliefs that the children must study along with the Bible in a home where food can be in short supply when selling refurbished junk doesn't bring in enough money. A mostly silent and disabled mother, whose legs never healed when God was the chosen doctor, looks on while the three boys and three girls, whom their father has matched up together to be holy spouses in heaven, attempt to get by in the town high school, where they are typically treated like freaks. Two of Castella's brothers endure physical privations and spiritual punishment due to their interest in girls outside of the family, while Castella flirts with the lures of the outside world after being partnered up with George, a talkative freshman in drama class who wants to draw her out. This claustrophobic novel has little to recommend it to teens: no relatable plot, few convincing or compelling characters, and lots of bizarre lifestyle depictions make the impending crisis of the Cresswell family little more than a head-scratching curiosity. Readers may be unclear whether the book's goals include establishing quirkiness or eliciting sympathy for the children of a dangerous religious fanatic.