“It’s a fucking cult, Paul.”
Working on a future newsletter with a no-holds barred look back at The Project, I wrote on Instagram not long ago. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.
Then, a minor textual aside about how Lo was, at one time, my most disliked female main character and many of you wanted to know about that—
And so much more.
Welcome to the newsletter.
Let’s talk about my cult book.
“God has revealed you,” he says. “Tell me who you are.”
The Project was the first of my books to establish a deeply immersive approach to research that followed me, for better and worse, to I’m the Girl. Lev Warren and his Unity Project are inspired by Jim Jones and Peoples Temple, and even after I felt informed enough to step back and use what I’d learned to shape the narrative the way it needed to be shaped, and to move the characters through it the way they needed to be moved—my usual method—I was determined to keep some part of myself in Jonestown via audio and video recordings, photo albums, books, documentaries, essays and analyses, news articles, FBI files and transcripts, until every word of the book was written and past the point of changing.
I don’t think this is particularly virtuous of or unique to my process; it was a response to The Project’s first failed (400+ page) draft. When I started exploring the massacre, I convinced myself unlocking my manuscript rested on understanding Jim Jones, cults being so defined by their leaders. But the members of Peoples Temple demanded to be heard, and the breadth of their hopes, fears, dreams, and especially their love for one another, made me realize how and why I’d gotten it so wrong: love was key. That love is what you join for, stay for, fall in line for, endure for, and when the family you’re a part of revolves around one person—a person who serves as both the promise that binds you and the threat that could tear you apart—you will be compromised over and over again. You may no longer choose him, but you’ll still, always, choose each other.
If I’d kept my focus on Jones, the book would have only upheld the lens cults are frequently viewed through and portrayed as: a spectacle. After spending so much time in the history, horror, and, most importantly, the humanity of Peoples Temple, I knew a spectacle was not a story I could tell if I wanted to publish a book I was proud of. As long as I was working on it, I made sure I stayed engaged in research concerning Peoples Temple as a form of personal accountability.
The end result was a book that didn’t suit every reader, but is steadfast in its assertion that while there’s something compelling about a social structure that operates on its own reality, and of the people who seemingly abandon all logic and reason to operate “unquestioningly” within it, our reality is the foundation they built theirs upon, and their reality is an extension, not separation, of our own. We deny how thin that line is between us so we can live in the comfortable illusion that we would never cross it ourselves. The Project is a book that says, I know something about you and myself I hope neither of us ever has to confront—but I believe with my whole heart to be true.
Further reading: Why Writing About Cults—and the People Who Join Them—Is Never Easy [CrimeReads]
I reach out, pressing my palm flat against that side of my reflection.
“You're Lo,” I say softly to it.
Note: this section contains spoilers
The surreality of a mid-career breakout is that everything you put out next is ‘after’ and everything that precedes it becomes less quantifiable. Though it’s quite unlikely I’ll write another Sadie, I might always, to some extent, be held to that expectation. This was my first experience with that. As an extension of my overall canon The Project felt like a natural evolution to me, creatively. When it is only in conversation with Sadie, for some readers, maybe less so.
Lo is where Sadie’s impact made itself known, and not in Lo’s favor. Even so, she was so invigorating for me, as a writer. She marked the beginning of a subversion of a typical Courtney Summers protagonist that Georgia would complete. I, personally, love her. But to some, especially after Sadie, she felt like an insult, and until Georgia, she was my least liked protagonist. You’ve asked me why. I have some theories. But before I continue, a disclaimer: whether a reader likes or feels Lo’s choices in The Project are earned is entirely up to them. Loving or hating her, or the book, are both valid responses, neither wrong. I’m not interested in writing a defense of Lo, because, as with all my protagonists, I accept her consequences.
I have, however, always wanted to talk about what went into developing Lo, because her character work is something I’ve always been very proud of as an author, in terms of craft—and it has always been a spoiler. It feels like enough time has passed I can invite you into that process. If you’re a writer or you’re interested in shoptalk, I hope this section offers you something. If you count yourself amongst those who do not like and feel disappointed by Lo and The Project, I appreciate that you spent time with her, and that the book inspired more than your indifference.
I don’t really think there’s any percentage in comparing my other protagonists to Sadie, but it’s in a reader’s nature—including my own—to compare. Sadie is an incredibly selfless narrator. Her sense of purpose revolves around her little sister, Mattie, who she loves with her entire being. Sadie’s only objective in the novel is to kill the man who killed Mattie. Whatever missteps she makes along the way, she ultimately dies for, so we can forgive her all that. In this respect, I think of Sadie as a very complex person, but not, necessarily, my most complex character. It’s easier to root for her. Whether you agree Lo is more or less complex, it’s probably safe to say she’s harder to root for.
Lo was written to be a certain kind of mirror. How you react to her might depend on what you believe she reflects back to you about how (you think) you’d respond in a similar situation. But the image we have of Lo is already distorted; she is an unreliable narrator. Taken at face value from the outset, Lo is appropriately skeptical of cults and cult leaders and hellbent on bringing Lev and The Unity Project down. She’s a stark contrast to Bea, whose vulnerability and susceptibility we understand even if we might not relate. It’s more likely than not your perspective aligns with Lo’s and as such, her sudden turn in joining The Unity Project might feel like the kind of betrayal that could—and has, for some—ruin the book.
I think the greatest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves.
A question that pervades Lo’s narrative is the question of who she is. When The Project opens, Jeremy is the one who tells her: you’re Lo. This is a statement she repeats back to herself shortly after as she covers her hand over the scarred side of her reflection in the mirror. Through the course of the novel, we learn that one of the questions Lo repeatedly asked in the aftermath of the car accident is, “Who am I?” And that she waited for Bea to tell her. As her dealings with The Unity Project reignite old trauma, she moves away from stating her identity and turns it back into a question—and the only person she asks it to is Lev. (Inversely, who am I is a question Bea begins to ask as she moves away from The Project.)
Lo’s anger at The Project and Bea is framed in such a way that the audience she demands of her sister is not really in the interest of saving or removing Bea from the cult, but to understand why she was denied a place there herself. She wants to destroy what she can’t be a part of. Lo longs for family and is awaiting an invitation back into her own. The moment Emmy is on page is an immediate point of no return. Lev leverages Emmy, and much of how Lo embraces The Unity Project and reacts to SVO’s threat to it, is filtered through a lens of protecting that connection.
But it’s Paul Tindale who is Lo’s greatest red herring. Paul is Lo’s hero and though not explicitly stated, I think we’d be safe in assuming she has a crush. Lo desperately wants to be valued by him, and where he fails to do that, Lev knows better. Paul and Lev share other parallels: Paul’s extraordinary and unconventional rise in journalism makes him famous. Lev has a similar rise. Paul hand-picks Lo out of a college lecture. Lev ‘chooses’ Lo via God. Paul fosters a working environment that blurs professional lines. Lev encourages pretty poor boundaries in The Unity Project, to say the least. Paul fucks his employees. Lev—well.
The beginning of the novel plays Lo’s hand for all to see: she’s already fallen for a cult leader once.
Every time I revisit The Project, I’m reminded of how proud I am, as a writer, of Lo’s arc, and all its moving pieces, and I’m happy I finally got to share and take a deeper look at them with you here. I can say she was very carefully developed even if I can’t say everyone’s loved her. And even if I can’t say everyone’s loved her, I can tell you my approach to her was defined by the love and respect I have for what I do, and who I do it for. What readers pay me in response—good or bad—I don’t take for granted.
Further listening: Courtney Summers and Writing for Spite [Talking Scared Podcast]
“Who am I?” I ask, but I don't know why I ask it.
You're—
“Lo—”
You're my sister. You're thirteen years old.
“Lo,” Lev says again.
INSIDE THE UNITY PROJECT and the rest of your questions, answered.
Lev Warren takes inspiration from Jim Jones in these ways: both men grew up in Indiana and had negligent mothers. Both relied on female right-hands. A heated custody battle over a child and the question of that child’s paternity, and a newspaper expose, played a large part in their undoing. A final nod: ‘Warren’ is Jim Jones’s middle name. The Unity Project takes significant cues from Peoples Temple, most notably by ingratiating itself into communities through acts of charity, outreach, and good works. The inner-workings of both cults share certain methods; corporal punishment, meetings that went on for hours, the insistence of keeping incriminating records (particularly audio) to be used against members and former members when and if necessary.
What genre is The Project? This question is really interesting to me from an industry and marketing perspective because it has a direct, though not straightforward, answer. Which is also why I think it got asked in the first place. Some context: before Sadie, no one who knew my work would tell you I wrote thrillers. Sadie was designated a thriller by its publisher and readers recognize it as such, though I think of it more as a mystery with thriller elements. (And it was awarded a mystery award: the Edgar.) But it’s thrillers, and not mysteries, that are big in YA. The Project is a slow burn psychological thriller. (And was awarded the ITW Thriller Award by the International Thriller Writers.) I’d be curious to see how Sadie would be received as a thriller if it came out today, because the genre wasn’t as typified in 2018; The Project released after it had defined itself in a very specific way. So while The Project and Sadie qualify as thrillers (whether in the main or subgenre), they might still feel slightly outside of the genre based on the expectations the current market has established for readers. I suspect The Project feels like a greater departure from it as a result. In short: I understand why the question and I’m sure this answer was unsatisfying. Incidentally, this was also a concern of mine as Wednesday Books finessed messaging for I’m the Girl, another of my books that occupies a space where a book’s qualifications and market-made expectations will either meet or diverge. At one point, I requested the word ‘thriller’ be de-emphasized or removed from it, but was overruled. While I’m always happy when messaging succeeds in reaching readers my books are meant for, I always feel badly, and share their frustrations, when readers feel misled. Unfortunately, there’s no commercial industry that isn’t bound to the limits of marketing language and books that defy or straddle various genres are still only able to occupy one place on physical shelves.
If Lo is 19, why is The Project YA? I wrote about that and why crossover YA fiction is still primarily for its intended audience for Publishers Weekly, ahead of its release.
Many readers wanted some visual references: Oscar Isaac for Lev Warren. The lead singer of The Lumineers c. the Ophelia music video for Foster. Chris Evans with a beard for Paul, but now I think Chris Pine might be a superior Paul? You choose. Mary Elizabeth Winstead for Bea. (Bea is watching 2011’s The Thing when the car crash happens as a nod to this.) Karen Gillan for Casey. An older Keke Palmer for Dana. Jensen Ackles with longish hair for Rob. Anthony Ruivivar for Michael. Lo has no real world reference but is very clear in my mind. Minnewaska Lodge is the inspiration for Chapman House.
SVO stands for ‘Subject, Verb, Object’ which is never stated.
Paul’s wunderkind journalism trajectory took very vague inspiration from Ronan Farrow. His generally decent/kind/good-humored ‘cool guy’ approach to running SVO was inspired by someone at Wednesday Books who’d had a similar management style that left a really positive impression on me at the time. Terrifying: it is possible to end up in a Courtney Summers novel. Yes, Paul makes a cameo in Greetings from Sunny Los Angeles; at some point after the events of both The Project and Sadie, he and West collaborated on a podcast series to less-than-stellar results. (Between that and I’m the Girl, I guess this means we have a Sadieverse?)
Marie Bergeron, the brilliant artist who illustrated the scene art on the The Project’s hardcover also created official art for Far Cry 5, which is a video game about a cult that I love very much. Marie was an artist I suggested based on previous cover work, and when I discovered the FC5 connection, it felt like fate. Astute readers who attended Sadie’s 2018 launch in NYC remember me talking about it, and how I firmly felt the only acceptable ending to that game was joining Eden’s Gate. I was working on The Project at the time. Foreshadowing, as they say in this biz.
Further listening and viewing: The Project’s playlist and what The Project wants to believe in [Instagram]
“There is no flaw in you,” he whispers.
The Project will at last be available in paperback on November 21st, 2023, in this beautifully refreshed package designed by Kerri Resnick. It will also include a bonus chapter, previously exclusive to the Barnes & Noble special edition. It offers a glimpse of Lev, Lo, and The Unity Project through an unexpected perspective.
BELIEVE HIM, BETRAY HER
1998: Six-year-old Bea doesn’t want a sister but everything changes when Lo is born early. Small and frail, Lo needs someone to look out for her. Having a sister is a promise, Mom says―one Bea’s determined not to break.
2011: A car wreck, their parents dead. Lo would’ve died too if not for Lev Warren, the charismatic leader of The Unity Project. He’s going to change the world and after he saves Lo’s life, Bea wants to commit to his extraordinary calling. Lev promises a place for the girls in the project, where no harm will ever come to them again . . . if Bea proves herself to him first.
2017: Lo doesn’t know why Bea abandoned her for The Unity Project after the accident, but she never forgot what Bea said the last time they spoke: We’ll see each other again. Six years later, Lo is invited to witness the group’s workings, meet with Lev, and―she hopes―finally reconnect with her sister. But Bea is long gone, and the only one who seems to understand the depths of this betrayal is Lev. If it’s family Lo wants, he can make her a new promise . . . if she proves herself to him first.
Welcome (back) to The Project.
Thank you for indulging this retrospective on my seventh book. I hope you’ll preorder this gorgeous edition to either revisit its heartbreaking story of two sisters who fall prey to the same cult leader, or enter its world for the very first time and tell me if, like Lo and Bea, you believed, or wanted so desperately to believe in it too.
Purchase I’m the Girl.
Preorder the paperback edition of The Project.
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* newsletter title by way of the Sufjan Stevens’ song.
I'm late to the party (finished reading The Project this week and am Still Processing), but thank you for sharing a look into its creation. The story and structure of this book is so spellbinding, and as a writer it feels like an immense privilege to hear about your research and the construction of Lo's arc. All of your protagonists stick with me, but it feels like Lo especially has embedded herself deep in my mind and heart.
Love how the new cover echos the original. I have so much to say! I'll try not to go on too much 😁. Firstly because I'm not on any social media (maybe one day) I didn't even know people had a problem with Lo, let alone were hating on her ☹. I took her as she was, complexed and flawed and hurting and was gutted for her when she fell prey to Lev's manipulations. But not surprised. Cults use grooming, although it is not often referred to as that, they find what their victim is missing and offer it. Anyone can be groomed, everyone is vulnerable. Out of curiosity, did Lo get much blame for what happened to her from some of your readers the way Georgia did?
Thank you for sharing the writing craft stuff, I love reading about other writers processes and techniques! Feel free to share more ❤. About any of your books 🥰
As for genre, what a murky water that is, can writing not become more fluid and less defined as music and movies and people are becoming? Why does it have to be pigeon holed and labelled? Also, since when was a nineteen year old not a young adult? 🤔 I took a short class one time that was to do with plot and planning a novel and I suggested that maybe my target audience was YA, and the class teacher (a YA author themselves) shut it down straight away saying no my writing and/or subject matter was too dark, and that YA had a hopeful ending. The teacher had actually only read a brief plan (not my actual writing voice) and I hadn't even decided on an ending at that point 🙁.
Thanks again for sharing ❤