Vivian Apple at the End of the World

Starred review from October 20, 2014
Level-headed straight-A student Vivian Apple and her wild best friend Harp are among those left behind after thousands of believers in the evangelical Church of America are “Raptured,” exactly as prophesied by the church’s founder, Beaton Frick. After receiving a mysterious phone call from California, the girls, wondering if their vanished parents might still be alive, drive cross-country in search of the truth behind the church, whose popularity has skyrocketed in the wake of national tragedies. Along for the ride is cute but cagey Peter, who knows more about the organization’s inner workings than he’s letting on. Coyle imagines an America in which politics, capitalism, and entertainment, and religion have combined to create a culture of intolerance and judgment that doesn’t end with the Rapture. The result is a scathing commentary on contemporary religiosity and fear-mongering in the face of the unknown, as well as the extent to which we surrender ourselves to interests that are not our own. Skillful plot twists, mordant humor, and careful characterizations make this a memorable coming-of-age story and a noteworthy debut. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company.

October 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-The reclusive leader of the Church of America has declared that the Rapture will occur in late March of an unspecified 21st-century year. While Believers prepare as they've been instructed, others host or attend Rapture's Eve parties. Sixteen-year-old Vivian Apple and her best friend Harpreet Janda fall into the latter category, but Vivian's parents are devout Believers. The morning after Harp's party, Vivian goes home to find her house empty. She searches, but there's no message from her parents: only two person-sized holes in the roof above their bedroom. Certain that her parents haven't really been "raptured," the teen sets out to drive across the country in search of them, along with Harp and the mysterious Peter, whom they met at the Rapture's Eve festivities. As their journey progresses, the trio discovers that post-rapture America has become paranoid, insular, and most of all, dangerous. The protagonists are more developed than the secondary characters, which rings true in this road trip novel. The plot moves slowly at times but keeps readers fully immersed in this bleak story. Recommend to mature readers, especially those who enjoy postapocalyptic narratives or fans of Jeri Smith-Ready's This Side of Salvation (S. & S., 2014).-Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach Public Library, Los Alamitos, CA

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