Ruby's family fell apart and she blames herself. When she meets Fox, there's an instant connection. He seems to see her when everyone else sees right though her. He's not like anyone else she knows. He is childlishly naive about so many things and yet has a wisdom beyond his years. He offers Ruby a chance to get to know him better and introduces her to The Institute - a commune of sorts. As Ruby starts to spend more time with Fox's family, she also gets to know more about how he lives. Are things how they seem on the surface or is there something more sinister and dangerous about The Institute? 
 I've read a few books about cults in the past. Robin Klein's Someone Might Hear You was one of my favourite books as a teen and I more recently read and adored The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes. 
 The Boundless Sublime blows those other books out of the water. 
 What sets this book apart is how it shows the entire journey. Where other books show you people desperate to leave these sects, The Boundless Sublime explores why someone might find themselves drawn into such a society. 
 Ruby is hurting and very angry at the beginning of the book. Her mother has checked out of reality and her family is in pieces. Then she meets Fox. He represents so much of what she wants. He has a family and wants her to join it. And the Institute does appear to have good values on the surface. Clean living, a lack of dependence on possessions and forgiveness for past sins. Ruby isn't entirely naive to what the Institute may be either. Her best friend tries to tell her she thinks the secretive community may be a cult (complete with yoga and "weird sex stuff"). When Ruby makes the decision to spend more time with Fox and his family at the Institute, she knows what she's giving up but she is captivated by the Institute's offer of a better and happier way of living. 
 The Boundless Sublime is a beguiling and frightening novel. It was scary in just how realistic Ruby's story was. Her seduction by the Institute was believable and made complete sense - which just made it all the more creepy. The choices Ruby made and her journey felt right even with the foreboding sense that something terrible was going to happen to her. There are twists and turns along the way which keep me guessing right up until the end. It's a compelling read you won't want to put down and it will make you look at seemingly harmless things in a completely new light.