A Break in the Fog by Molly Salans
What's It About?
“People do not knowingly join “cults” that will ultimately destroy and kill them. People join self-help groups, churches, political movements, college campus dinner socials, and the like, in an effort to be a part of something larger than themselves.” — Deborah Layton, Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the Peoples TempleMy unhealthy obsession with cults, specifically about what makes them tick and why people often find themselves in one, had me grabbing for this book the moment it became available. While I tend to gravitate toward the non-fiction category of this niche genre, I’ve been known to dabble in well-written fictional tales that lean toward cultish activities, too. A Break in the Fog by Molly Salans’ synopsis instantly hooked me and was vaguely reminiscent of the young adult novel, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes (Penguin Random House). The differences between these two books, however, are vast.
A TALE AS OLD AS TIME
How often haven’t we heard about how someone makes a decision that would ultimately change the course of their entire life, whether it is for the better or worse? In A Break in the Fog, we follow the story of Clara Greenwood, a college student who’s about to graduate and open her own dance studio, against her father’s continuous protesting. With her mother dead and her sister addicted to drugs, Clara has to deal with all the family drama, and her dad’s complaints are the least of her worries.
Searching for a fresh start in life, a way out of the chaos she finds herself in, Clara attends a meeting to join a secret school called The Ancient Side of Ideas… Something doesn’t feel right, though, and Clara can’t help getting somewhat concerned on the inside of this new cult life. She quickly throws her cares to the wind, however, when she finds herself charmed by one of its teachers, Damien, who convinces her to give up everything about her past. Alas, when Clara finds herself more trapped by this new life than her old one, the question is whether she’ll ever find her way back out.
If this sounds like a vaguely familiar tale, then there’s a good chance you, too, know someone who inadvertently found themselves in a tight spot — or even a cult. It’s truly not as uncommon as one may think (or hope).
ABUSE, LOVE, TRAUMA, AND HOPE
A Break in the Fog does have a frightening premise, no doubt, and I will admit that it is the darker parts of such tales that I tend to pick apart to try and understand the psychology of both the victims and the perpetrators. What makes Molly Salans’ book stand out is that there are so many glimpses of light! This book isn’t just about how easily someone can find themselves in the clutches of a cult, but also about how to overcome the darkness. Written with so much heart, I quickly found myself emotional and hoping for Clara to have a happy ending.
It was only after I finished the book that I read up about the author… Lo and behold, suddenly things made sense! Molly Salans didn’t set out to simply write a fictitious account about a young woman trying to get out of a cult. She was that young woman who’d escaped a terrible life! Honestly, knowing that and thinking about the book again simply gives me chills.
UNPUTDOWNABLE IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
I appreciate how well A Break in the Fog was written, as well as how the author allowed us a glimpse into her own life’s journey. This is the type of book that will live on in readers’ minds for a long time, and definitely, one that should be made into a film…
About Molly Salans:
Molly Salans’ love of literature and deep spirituality eventually brought her to earn her M.Ed. from Cambridge College in 1989. She then went on to obtain her license in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Kantor Family Institute in 1991 and a license in Social Work from Boston University School of Social Work in 1995. Her first book, Storytelling with Children in Crisis, is based on her social work experience in home-based crisis intervention.
Prior to pursuing her education in counseling and social work, Molly was a member of a prominent cult for seven years. Though she left in 1982, her experiences as part of the group haunted her, leading her to write her newest book, a psychological fiction novel titled A Break in the Fog.
Though not autobiographical, her insider understanding of the way cults operate informed this integral part of the dysfunctional family narrative. Feeling this was a story she had to get out, her wish is for readers to find hope in the family’s quest for redemption.
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