Agnes loves her home of Red Creek--its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God. There, she cares tirelessly for her younger siblings and follows the town's strict laws. What she doesn't know is that Red Creek is a cult, controlled by a madman who calls himself a prophet.
Then Agnes meets Danny, an Outsider boy, and begins to question what is and isn't a sin. Her younger brother, Ezekiel, will die without the insulin she barters for once a month, even though medicine is considered outlawed. Is she a sinner for saving him? Is her sister, Beth, a sinner for dreaming of the world beyond Red Creek?
As the Prophet grows more dangerous, Agnes realizes she must escape with Ezekiel and leave everyone else, including Beth, behind. But it isn't safe Outside, either: A viral pandemic is burning through the population at a terrifying rate. As Agnes ventures forth, a mysterious connection grows between her and the Virus. But in a world where faith, miracles, and cruelty have long been indistinguishable, will Agnes be able to choose between saving her family and saving the world?
What a fantastic read. Often, novels that try to mix mundane (the cult) and fantastical (the illness) elements just make a mess, but in this they match up very well. The faith Agnes learns at home - not the cult's faith, but her own, personal version - helps her to deal with the illness.
The representation of God here reminds me a bit of Stephen King's work - primarily Desperation, and in a minor way The Stand. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into detail, but if you've read it you'll know what I meant.
I liked both our main characters, although it got a little confusing in the first half or so as they switched back and forth between 'go' and 'stay'. They were well written, powerful characters, and I appreciated that romance wasn't a huge part of what was happening, although it did feature.
One thing that confused me:
I really enjoyed this book. I love the idea that your faith is a personal thing and doesn't need to conform to others. I loved how the headers went from the Prophet's Laws, to Bible quotations, to Agnes' thoughts. Just lovely.
“Let us pray,” intoned the Prophet.
For the first time in her memory, Agnes’s eyes batted open while the others bowed their heads.
She thought: But the sound, oh, God, the sound.
If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve said it was God’s voice she’d heard.
She fought not to think: The glory of God thundereth.
And fought not to think: Mine ears thou hast opened.
It was the deepest possible sin—wasn’t it?—to entertain the idea that God would deign to speak to her, when everyone knew only patriarchs and prophets were fit to receive divine guidance.
Her eyes met Beth’s over the heads of the faithful. A charge leapt between them, and a question appeared in her sister’s gem-green eyes. What’s wrong with you today?
But this time it was Agnes, consumed by her own inner turmoil, who looked away.
The representation of God here reminds me a bit of Stephen King's work - primarily Desperation, and in a minor way The Stand. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into detail, but if you've read it you'll know what I meant.
I liked both our main characters, although it got a little confusing in the first half or so as they switched back and forth between 'go' and 'stay'. They were well written, powerful characters, and I appreciated that romance wasn't a huge part of what was happening, although it did feature.
One thing that confused me:
I really enjoyed this book. I love the idea that your faith is a personal thing and doesn't need to conform to others. I loved how the headers went from the Prophet's Laws, to Bible quotations, to Agnes' thoughts. Just lovely.
“Let us pray,” intoned the Prophet.
For the first time in her memory, Agnes’s eyes batted open while the others bowed their heads.
She thought: But the sound, oh, God, the sound.
If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve said it was God’s voice she’d heard.
She fought not to think: The glory of God thundereth.
And fought not to think: Mine ears thou hast opened.
It was the deepest possible sin—wasn’t it?—to entertain the idea that God would deign to speak to her, when everyone knew only patriarchs and prophets were fit to receive divine guidance.
Her eyes met Beth’s over the heads of the faithful. A charge leapt between them, and a question appeared in her sister’s gem-green eyes. What’s wrong with you today?
But this time it was Agnes, consumed by her own inner turmoil, who looked away.
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