MARGINAL
***
Written by Tom Carlisle, 352 pp
Horror/Thriller, Out now from Titan Books, 2024
Tom Carlisle’s thriller opens somewhere remote in Scotland, in a commune known as the Systematics, run by a nightmare leader called Bjorn Thrissell. One of his followers, Marcus, has died in a horrific manner and he summons Marcus’ brother Rob back to the commune. Rob returns, joined by a determined young journalist podcaster called Lucy, who is equally determined to reveal how Marcus really died. The two find something disturbing – and definitely not human – is taking over the group and they set out to try to stop the infection spreading.
As Rob desperately searches for the truth behind Bjorn’s story, he realises things aren’t quite what they seem. While he is a flawed yet likeable character, Rob’s actions can seem unrealistic; wouldn’t you refuse to return to a cult where your brother died; despite his survivor guilt, would he not just want to stay away from this nightmarish place? Lucy is an enjoyable character, an ambition-hungry podcaster desperate to break a good story who survives an evil cult and like Ripley from ALIEN bravely takes on something monstrous single handedly.
The main flaw of MARGINAL is its slow burning pace which hampers an effective plot; it’s engagingly written in the historic present, but it’s not till chapter 11 when Rob returns to the cult as an adult and starts to clash with them when the pace picks up. The opening 80 pages drag until this point, and needs a faster lead into the action. A more effective start would be opening with Rob returning to the cult as an adult, then a brief flashback to his childhood to explain why he left, before returning to maintain the tension.
One of the most enjoyable parts of MARGINAL is how the cult finally rebels against Bjorn. The pace picks up as the infection spreads, transforming the formerly brainwashed, docile cult members, from insipid background characters under Bjorn’s will into bring-it-on warlike characters, arming themselves against the evil lurking outside with any kitchen-based weapons available.
Carlisle’s disturbing depictions of the cult's control methods are some of the best-written sections. For instance, anyone who challenges Bjorn risks solitary confinement underground, in "the Pit." He adds gory, unexpected details, such as an outcast found with “blood under his fingernails, his eye sockets empty holes” (p.138). Carlisle skillfully incorporates snippets of information - like Lucy’s podcast drafts, emails, military reports, and local articles on “unsettling incidents” - which add life to the novel and give it a gloss of everyday reality. These details help us, along with Rob and Lucy, gradually understand just how much trouble they’re in as they probe the cult’s secrets. There are also genuinely stomach-churning moments, such as when Lucy witnesses a truly gruesome transformation.
The strength of MARGINAL lies in its exploration of how cults don’t present themselves as such, just as groups of like-minded people seeking a “better” way of living. With overtones of the total control of THE HANDMAID’S TALE, Bjorn repeatedly tells his followers he’s simply trying to do his best for them, presenting his way of life as just leading a group of well-meaning eccentrics. There’s also echoes of THE WICKER MAN, with Rob and Lucy as the naive but determined outsiders like Sergeant Neil Howie, keen to destroy an evil in a deserted Scottish location.
MARGINAL feels like a rural version of ROSEMARY’S BABY, there’s a deceptive amount of detail that almost distracts us from seeing what’s really going on. Just as Ira Levin surrounds Rosemary in a sea of domestic tasks and cheerful DIY, Carlisle offers tiny, well-observed details, as when a teen escaped from the cult, Rob finds himself doing a huge jigsaw puzzle of a peaceful “serene countryside landscape”. This seemingly random, slightly pointless, activity made him feel better as he creates the perfect picture of “the kind of idyllic scene that you knew didn’t exist but you hope you could stumble across” (p.114). Haven’t we all at some point wanted to disappear into some peaceful yet fictional paradise, so who can blame Rob for wanting to disappear into one after what happened to his family? Like Levin’s Rosemary, Rob busies himself with the humdrum activities of daily life, blinding himself to the bigger, nastier picture of what’s really going on as the cult destroys his family, just as the Castevets destroy Rosemary’s.
Carlisle's horror offers some keen psychological insights. Like all cults, it doesn’t recognise itself as such, viewing itself instead as a community led by a strong, charismatic leader. The recurring gesture of Bjorn pinching his nose, which is soon mirrored by other members, effectively illustrates how living in close quarters causes people to unconsciously adopt one another's habits and behaviours.
MARGINAL is a slow burning but effective tale of a deserted cult, hiding something nasty underground. Its likeable leads have to find a way to overcome the evil as it gets inside its members. Gory and entertainingly written, it’s a chilling look at cults, charismatic leaders and the evil that lurks beneath a deceptively peaceful surface.
Nina Romain
