Seed
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
All that Pearl knows can be encapsulated in one word: Seed. It is the isolated community that she was born into. It is the land that she sows and reaps. It is the center of her family and everything that means home. And it is all kept under the watchful eye of Papa S.
At fifteen years old, Pearl is finally old enough to be chosen as Papa S.'s companion. She feels excitement . . . and surprising trepidation that she cannot explain. The arrival of a new family into the Seed community -- particularly the teenage son, Ellis -- only complicates the life and lifestyle that Pearl has depended upon as safe and constant. Ellis is compelling, charming, and worldly, and he seems to have a lot of answers to questions Pearl has never thought to ask. But as Pearl digs to the roots of the truth, only she can decide what she will allow to come to the surface.
Lisa Heathfield's suspenseful, scintillating debut features a compelling voice that combines blithe naïtékeen observation, and sincere emotion.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Heathfield's debut novel, 15-year-old Pearl leads a contented life in Seed, a bucolic, nature-worshipping commune. Though Pearl's na ve first-person narrative shows her complete trust in the cult leader, there are signs that something is wrong as the book opens, Pearl is terrified when she is forced to spend the night in a dark underground chamber after getting her first period. When a family of new converts arrives, including Ellis, a skeptical teenage boy, Pearl initially resists Ellis's contention that life at Seed "is based on lies. And power. And fear. But as events escalate Ellis suffers a mysterious accident, and one of Pearl's loved ones goes through a dangerous pregnancy without modern medicine Pearl and the other teenagers at Seed start to question their leader. Though Pearl is more spectator than actor at the horrific climax, her internal journey and growth show her to be far from passive. Well-developed secondary characters and Heathfield's willingness to do serious damage to central ones make this novel a powerful read. Ages 13 up.
