Coming of Age at the End of Days

by Alice LaPlante

First published 2015

Anna has always been different, hiding her quirks from parents and friends who wouldn't understand. At sixteen, depression settles over her life like a heavy blanket. Everything changes when the Goldschmidts move next door. This family belongs to a religious cult, and Anna becomes fascinated by their son Lars and their violent predictions about the coming Tribulation. The cult's fervent beliefs about the End of Days captivate Anna completely. Within months, she abandons her family, her home, and everything she once knew. Her new faith transforms her identity entirely. But as Anna's beliefs grow more extreme, they threaten to destroy her completely. She must fight her way back from the brink and rediscover who she really is beneath the fanaticism that has consumed her.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, coming-of-age, contemporary, thriller

Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: abandonment, faith-crisis, found-family, identity-crisis

240 pages · Kindle Edition · Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

Content warnings: abuse, depression, mental-illness

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