Vivian Versus the Apocalypse

Sixteen-year-old Vivian Apple is awaiting the predicted 'Rapture' with a healthy degree of scepticism. Her parents might well have become 'Believers', dutifully following all the teachings of the Church of America, but Viv isn't buying it. But then, the morning after the supposed Rapture, she arrives home from a party to find that her parents are gone - and all that is left are two holes in the ceiling. What does it mean? Is the apocalypse really about to arrive - and what has become of Viv's parents, and the other Believers?

Before long, Viv finds herself embarking on an extraordinary road trip across America in search of answers. With her are unpredictable best friend Harp, Peter, a boy who claims to know the true whereabouts of the Church of America, and Edie, a heavily-pregnant Believer who has been 'left behind'. On the way, they encounter everything from freak weather, roving 'Believer' gangs, and the 'New Orphans' - an idealistic group of non-believers. But in this confusing new world, in which nothing seems clear-cut, how can Viv uncover the truth?

Vivian Versus the Apocalypse was one of the winners of the 2013 Hot Key Young Writers Prize, and it's not difficult to see why. Katie Coyle's writing is a breath of fresh air: sharp, funny and distinctive. She has an especial gift for creating believable characters - cynical heroine, Viv, is a particularly brilliant creation, but each of the supporting characters is also carefully drawn. Conjouring up a chilling vision of a contemporary USA dominated by evangelical religion, this is an impressive and original debut, which will grip readers right up until its perfectly-pitched ending.