Reviewed by Natalie Dean ||

disclaimer: This review is based on an ARC copy, so minor edits may have been made between the version being reviewed and the official print.

Premise: Hell Followed With Us follows main character Benji, a trans teenager, as he navigates the dangerous dystopia that has resulted from the rule of an extremist Christian cult. Benji takes refuge in an LGBTQ+ Youth Center called ALC, where he meets a diverse and spunky cast of characters while harboring a deep secret: he has been infected by the cult’s latest bioweapon and is already undergoing mutations.

Review (No Spoilers): This debut novel is full of great prose and really interesting mutations of religious ideas. The author has clearly done his research and takes a good deal of care and effort to craft the darkest sides of religion into physical monsters. The story is very effective in its horror elements, especially the running theme of body horror, which for me was the highlight of this novel. White does not shy away from the grotesque— not even a little. It is extremely fascinating to see the convolution of internal and physical deformity that comes with the main character recognizing the horror of the cult while also becoming a thing of horror himself. 

The shameless representation that this book includes is refreshing: one character uses neopronouns, something I have never seen in a novel, others are various sexualities, transgender, and/or come from different racial and religious backgrounds. 

However, this ensemble cast is almost entirely background noise, with a few notable exceptions. It became difficult to keep track of who all was at ALC, especially since some names were mentioned once or twice and not more. This made it difficult to understand the scale of ALC. It also meant that many side characters did not get much development, since they were not mentioned enough to be given too much characterization, much less character arcs or narratives. 

On that topic, some of the world building was lackluster. It was difficult to imagine the scale of places or distance between these places. One quick suggestion, at the risk of being too prescriptive in this critique: there should be a map! I think a map in the beginning would have alleviated a lot of my confusion and would have really helped to color in the gaps in the descriptions. The logistics and history surrounding the present circumstances are also fuzzy. We are told that the world shifted from normal to this dystopia in only a few years, which does not seem realistic, and that the cult has somehow caused this dystiopia, which is also difficult to grasp as cults are typically quite small.

The discussion of religion is so central to this book, though it takes up very little actual page space. There is one minor interaction in which Benji talks to a muslim girl at ALC about her religious views, but this concept does not come back up. Should there be a sequel, I would love to see more of this conversation. It is possible for a violent and extremist cult to coexist with other religious views that are positive and constructive. With the central religious figure of this novel being the cult, not any form of God, the book takes on more of a condemnation of the dark sides of the institution of religion rather than religion itself, but this is a topic that is extremely nuanced, and there is always more to be said. Benji’s own faith is something that is almost inconsequential to the story— it is the cult he interacts with, not God. I would have liked to see more of Benji’s struggle with religion in general enter the narrative.

At the heart of this novel is raw emotion, which White captures beautifully. Anger and grief and the deep-rooted desire for acceptance and love are so palpable in every word of the book. Benji is a character who is so deeply relatable to so many, and it is so clear how much love White has for this character. The emotion of the book takes hold of you and does not let go until the very end. 

This book could have easily been much longer (current page count is right around 400), as the pace was breakneck at times, but overall, it was a really enjoyable read. I absolutely blew through this book, and I am excited to see what White has to offer in the future. He is definitely a name to watch. 

Rating: 3.5/5 stars