The Unspoken

by Thomas Fahy

Book Overview

"In five years' time, your greatest fear will consume you. It will rob you of your last breath."

Five years ago six children who lived with their families in Jacob Crawley's Divine Path religious cult escaped by burning the compound to the ground. They are reunited at the funeral of Jacob's son, Harold. Harold died of drowning -- his worst fear -- even though his body was found miles from any water. And it seems that each of the teens...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416940073
• ISBN13: 9781416940074
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

unspoken review

Bought as a Christmas present for my 15 yr. old son,he is an advanced reader and past the young teen material, but enjoys stories where the main characte(s) are in his age group. I took a shot with this title and story line and am happy that he enjoyed it as much as he did.

I never wanted to put it down.

Ever read a book from cover to cover without setting it down? That was this book for me. It was a VERY suspensful story, the ending took me by surprise. I would recomment this book to anyone who likes suspense/thrillers/horror, though it was not "graphic" horror.

A Scary Thrill Ride

This book was suspenseful from start to finish. I liked the author's style, which made for a fast-paced read that kept me guessing throughout the book. The focus on the psychological torment and early brainwashing of the characters was especially disturbing, and it made me think about what kind of impact growing up in a cult would have on a person. Even the ending is more ambiguous than in most thrillers, though I was still satisfied. For anyone who enjoys a smart and scary thriller, I would definitely recommend this book.

Message to our young people today

Set in rural North Carolina, right in the middle of the "bible-belt" region, "The Unspoken" has a ring of truth to it. Six teenagers are brought back together five years after surviving a fire that destroyed the religious compound they lived in ... as well as all the adults that lived there. The six young adults are now afraid a prophecy that foretold their deaths is coming true. Thomas Fahy has written this book on a 12 year old and up level but it is very readable and entertaining for adults as well. The story also relays a serious message to our young people today... extreme religious fantasist that exert total control over people's lives are dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

This is a really spooky book. The prologue had me scratching my head a bit, and I admit that I wasn't sure if I would like the rest of the novel. But it is undeniably creepy, and by the end of chapter one I was hooked. There are no wasted scenes in this book. Even a ride that two characters take in a car is a chance for character development and flashbacks to flesh out the story. Piece by piece, the terrifying experience that these six kids shared is revealed through a well-crafted plot. Five years ago, six kids were the only survivors of a fire that took the lives of the adult members of the brainwashing cult in which they lived. "In five years' time, your greatest fear will consume you. It will rob you of your last breath." This is the prophecy that they face today. They manage to escape the cult and try to move on with their lives, but cannot forget those ominous words spoken by their cult leader before his death. Brought together again under mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that some of the evil that haunted them from within the cult still runs free. One by one, the friends are killed, in increasingly gruesome ways, while those remaining try to desperately to find some answers and some peace. With echoes of Edgar Allan Poe, the macabre, murderous details of the plot become a metaphor for these individuals to find control over their own lives, and to live their lives on their terms. The question is: will any of them live long enough to figure out how to do it? The ending is satisfying, with enough details left open-ended to encourage a sequel. I fully expect to see this story on the big screen. Reviewed by: Marie Robinson