All people and events in this book are fictional. Franz Oswald, West Fog Island, and ViaTerra are products of my imagination. At the same time, of course, I have been inspired by real-life incidents from the twenty-five years I spent as a member of a cult, and from my time as a defector.
I have taken certain liberties in my descriptions of the University Library in Lund and the Skogome prison facility. The staff who appear in the books are also fictional.
I hope my story can bring a deeper understanding of how a defector’s life may look. Cults and religious sects are not the only groups from which a person might need to flee. The cult mentality, when one person seizes power over a group or an individual, is found in many places in society, from abusive relationships to bullying situations to dictatorships.
It takes time to heal wounds after such a life. But it’s possible, and it’s never too late to create a new life for yourself and find freedom.