We All Should Go DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN

Down From the Mountain

by Elizabeth Fixmer

Now, this is why I read young adult literature – an interesting and not overwrought narrative from the viewpoint of a teenager ingrained in a religious cult, Down From the Mountain is interesting, fresh, and alarming.

Eva, so named after Eve and therefore always a reminder of temptation, is 14 years old and lives on a compound with her real mother, several other “Mothers,” and several children.  Prophet Ezekiel leads his flock with an increasingly iron fist.  He insists on marrying every woman in the compound, thereby driving out the men and further bolstering Ezekiel’s power.  When Eva’s talent at jewelry-making allows her to leave the compound for the heathen world outside, she begins to realize that Prophet Ezekiel may not be the word of God, after all.

Fixmer creates a nuanced suspense that is charming and realistic; we hope that Eva escapes from the cult but we also are sympathetic to her desire to be loved.  Eva clings to the memories from a book she read, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, an allegory for a loving God:

“Ezekiel can make me say yes when I mean no, I think.  He can make me submissive and obedient, but he can’t control everything.  He can’t control my thoughts or memories.  Like my book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  He burned it, but it will always remain in my heart” (139).

Eva befriends a waiter named Trevor and they begin meeting at a local library; once Eva obtains “[her] most precious possession,” a library card, she begins to devour the knowledge that Ezekiel may not be God’s word.

The ending is sad and tragic, but also quite realistic.  I only wish we would have gotten more information about what ultimately happened to Ezekiel.  Overall, I will be highly recommending this story – what a treat!