Leaving Fishers
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Leaving Fishers (1997) is a young adult novel written by Margaret Peterson Haddix centering around a high school girl's, Dorry Stevens, descent and escape from a cult, The Fishers of Men.
[edit] Plot Summary
Dorry Stevens is extremely lonely at her new school after being rebuffed several times at her attempts to make friends...That is until she is befriended by a group of good-looking, fun group of students, Angela Briarstone, Brad, Michael, Jay, Lara, and Kim. Shortly after she discovers that they all belong to the Fishers of Men, a religious group that is the center of their worlds. At first Dorry is dubious of the Fishers, but eventually becomes involved in the group, giving into increasingly high demands made by the Fishers because of her fear of losing her only real friends. Soon after her descent, Dorry begins to doubt more and more the wisdom of the Fishers and their leader, Pastor Jim. Eventually one final, damaging task breaks the Fishers' hold.
[edit] Main Characters
Former and Present Members of The Fishers of Men Cult
Dorry Stevens - Dorry is self-described as an unattractive, friendless nobody. As a result of her father's factory job transfer, Dorry moves to the city of Indianapolis, foreign compared to her small hometown of Bryden, Ohio. She is befriended by Angela Briarstone, Brad, Michael, Jay, Lara, and Kim, and becomes involved in a "religious group", The Fishers of Men, actually a cult. Even while giving into the cult's high demands and swallowing her voice of reason, Dorry manages to befriend a family, Mrs. Garringer and her daughters Zoe and Jasmine, whom she babysits. (Mr. Garringer does not make an appearance in the novel.) Later she also befriends Zachary, who has also broken free from the Fishers.
Angela Briarstone - Angela is a wealthy, beautiful blonde highschooler fanatically involved with the Fishers of Men. She appears kind to Dorry, but is really feeding her half-truths and lies to get Dorry to fall into the Fishers. She is mentioned by Zachary as one of the leader of the Fisher's "favorites", whom she allegedly had premaritial sex with.
Brad - Brad is a well off, handsome (with blue eyes and straight black hair), charming, and funny high school member of the Fishers of Men. Dorry has a crush on him throughout the book and confesses to Angela to have lusted after him. He unsuccessfully attempts to sway Dorry back to the Fishers with a promise of a date when she leaves.
Jay - One of Dorry's Fisher friends, Jay is described as quiet and "cute...if you ignored his acne."
Michael - He, like all the male Fisher friends, is described as cute. Also, like Jay, he is not mentioned often throughout the book.
Lara - Lara admitted to Dorry that, before becoming a Fisher, she was a heavily promiscuous atheist from age twelve to fourteen. She was converted to Fishers by their leader, Pastor Jim, and is one of the more devout believers, desiring "to convert everybody on the planet." It is revealed that she later has a nervous breakdown and is put into a mental hospital. She has straight brown hair and a plain face, easily fading into the background.
Kim - She is one of the quieter Fishers along with Jay.
Pastor Jim -Pastor Jim is the charismatic leader of the Fisher of Men cult. He is around five foot eight, skinny, with thick, stylish brown hair and mustache, and piercing green eyes. He has gathered many followers and is reported to have embezzeled money and had sex with "probably...half the girls in Fishers," by telling the girls it's their sacrifice for God. He never attempts anything with Dorry. Angela is one of his "favorites".
Zachary - Zachary is one of the several who broke free from the Fishers. He is a shy-looking boy and introduced as a scientific genius by Pastor Jim. Later in the book, after both he and Dorry broke away from the cult, they befriend the other. He is bent on getting the Fishers of Men recognized officially as a cult.
Others
Mr. & Mrs. Stevens - Dorry's parents strongly disapprove of their daughter's absorbing involvement with the Fishers of Men and express so to her several times. Mr. Stevens is a stern father and factory worker and Mrs. Stevens, (first name Reenie), works at a nursing home. They had Dorry later in life then typically; she was a "mistake". Mrs. Stevens has a heart attack, but recovers.
The Garringer Family - Dorry first meets the Garringer family, (excluding Mr. Garringer), when the Fishers arrange for her to babysit the children. In order from eldest to youngest, their children are Jasmine, Zoe, and baby Seth. The Garringers are wealthy enough for Mrs. Garringer not to need to work, and thus she is able to pursue her interests in art. When Dorry is pressured into attempting to convert someone to the Fishers, she tells Jasmine and Zoe, both young children, about hell and Fishers. Their and Mrs. Garringer's bad reactions to the attempt and Angela's following cruel words are the final straws for Dorry and she leaves the Fishers of Men. Later, after she leaves Fishers, she attempts to reconcile with Mrs. Garringer, discussing her feelings about the cult. Mrs. Garringer accepts Dorry's apology although she has by now hired a new babysitter. She also mentions that her children are no longer afraid of hell as she got a dog who they believe will "protect them" from hell's fire.
