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Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN FICTION Coyle, K. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple never believed in the evangelical Church of America, unlike her recentlynbsp;devout parents. But when Vivian returns home the night after the supposed "Rapture," all that's left of her parents are twonbsp;holes in the roof. Suddenly, she doesn't know who or what to believe. With her best friend Harp and a mysterious ally, Peter, Viviannbsp;embarks on a desperatenbsp;cross-country roadtripnbsp;through a paranoid and panic-stricken America to find answers.nbsp;Because at the end of the world, Vivan Applenbsp;isn't looking for a savior. She's looking for the truth.
Author Notes
Katie Coyle grew up in Fair Haven, New Jersey and has an MFA in fiction from the University of Pittsburgh. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, and blogs at www.katiecoyle.com . VIVIAN APPLE AT THE END OF THE WORLD is her first novel. Follow Katie on Twitter: @krcoyle.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Coyle's debut combines a satirical apocalypse plot with a rite-of-passage tale. Vivian Apple finds herself omitted from the "Rapture" of her parents and thousands of other Believers of the Church of America when they all apparently disappear one night. Determined to find out the truth of what happened to them, Vivian and her best friend, Harp, embark on a cross-country road trip to investigate. Along the way they are joined by the secretive Peter and pregnant Believer Edie. This coming-of-age tale moves slowly at times, with plot twists interspersed with commentary on religion and cults, global warming, corporate America, and consumerism. The ending is a bit rushed, but overall it is an entertaining story. Julie Whelan provides a crisp and compelling reading. VERDICT Recommended for mature young adult listeners.-Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY © Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
A stirring prologue from something called "The Book of Frick" introduces a contemporary America plagued by terrorist attacks, school shootings, natural disasters, wars, and economic suffering -- a country ready to listen to evangelical prophet Beaton Frick, whose apocalyptic preaching had long been dismissed. In just a few years, the cultish Church of America has converted masses into Believers anticipating the Rapture. Flash forward: sixteen-year-old Vivian Apple and her best friend Harp throw an ironic Rapture party and wake the next morning with an I-told-you-so attitude. Then Vivian goes home to find her Believer parents gone, two holes smashed through the ceiling: vanished, like thousands of others. Suddenly there's looting, schools are shut down, Believers who weren't Raptured grow increasingly extreme, and the country becomes dangerous for Non-Believers. But Vivian is unwavering in her skepticism and determined to track down her parents. She has a hunch that answers may lay in California and, with no one and nothing left to lose, Vivian and Harp embark on a daring road trip with cute stranger Peter, who mysteriously has insider Church knowledge. Coyle's debut (first published in Great Britain in 2013) is a unique and unpredictable apocalypse story steeped in tension and creepy atmosphere, with intelligent commentary on Fundamentalism and corporate influence in America; it's also an empowering coming-of-age adventure starring a relatable protagonist who successfully becomes "the hero of [her] own story." katrina hedeen (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
It's the end of the world as she knows it, but Vivian Apple does not feel fine.In a modern America that seems to have forgotten God, Beaton Frick has been selected by the Almighty to be His prophet. Capitalizing (in every sense of the word) on such visions as "the parable of the Starbucks," Frick has created the Church of America and set a date for the Rapture. Seventeen-year-old Vivian is certain the paranoia will dissipate, but when her Believer parents (along with thousands of other followers) disappear and natural disasters ensue, she finds herself wondering if Frick's prophecies might be true. The teen's present-tense narration teems with irreverent humor as she follows her decision to solve the mystery of her missing parents. This is a book about America, after all, so a road trip from Vivian's Pittsburgh neighborhood to California is practically requisite. Accompanying her along the way are Indian-American and BFF Harpreet (another Rapture victim) and Peter, whom she met at a Rapture's Eve party and who also has family secrets. As on any worthy road trip, Vivian meets a host of unusual characters and begins to form her own beliefs. Although the story loses speed toward the end, readers will already be charmed by Vivian's transformations. An open ending paves the way for the trip to continue. For readers who like their realistic fiction with a whopping side of satire. (Fiction. 14 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Like Jeri Smith-Ready's equally impressive This Side of Salvation (2014), this smart, sober novel takes a look at an apparent Rapture event and the effect it has on those left behind. Coyle's scope is the broader of the two: approximately 3,000 so-called Believers vanish overnight on the Rapture day promised by a popular fundamentalist Church of America evangelist named Beaton Frick. The rest of the nonbelieving world is shocked, including 17-year-old Vivian, whose Believer parents seemed to have ascended through two holes in the roof. With a second Rapture predicted for all the remaining Believers growing now by the day Vivian, her pal Harp, and a cute boy with Church connections hit the road to check out a courageous nonbeliever enclave in South Dakota and investigate a hunch that not everything about the Rapture is what it seems. Though the premise (and ultimate conclusion) require a small leap of faith, Coyle writes with utter conviction about an uncomfortable idea: what if the ultraconservative, sexist, intolerant, jingoistic side of the religious Right was correct? Don't be misled by the sunny title and cover image: this is a gritty, often troubling work that is nevertheless infused with humor and heart.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2014 Booklist