The Special Ones

In this hair-raising Australian import, Esther's unnerving first-person voice introduces the Special Ones. She, Harry, Lucille, and Felicity live on a secluded farm, brainwashed into believing they have been reincarnated, and where they are forced to perform antiquated chores and cultish rituals under constant surveillance by an unseen him. Yet despite the old-timey lifestyle, the Special Ones' main task is providing spiritual guidance to their internet followers, a seeming anachronism that deepens the creepiness. As stoic Esther reveals snippets about her pre-Special Ones life, her forbidden attraction to Harry, and, especially, her fear of him, readers' empathy for her builds. And though Esther's complicity in the "collection" (kidnapping) and "reintroduction" (brainwashing) of a new prisoner after Lucille is "renewed" (at best, reentering the world; at worst, killed) is disturbing, it evinces his control over her. Esther is devastated when Harry is renewed, but soon after comes her own renewal notice, leading to a dramatic shift in events--and in the narrative. Though this sharp midpoint plot-turn makes the novel feel like two different stories, the shift is clearly intentional and helps define the book as an affecting study of psychological manipulation and emotional resilience. Bailey's (Shift, rev. 5/12) latest thriller features an impressively eerie tone, goosebumps-inducing atmosphere, and genuine surprises. katrina hedeen