The Rapture [Hardcover]

Liz Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2009

An electrifying story of science, faith, love, and self-destruction in a world on the brink.

It is a June unlike any other before, with temperatures soaring to asphyxiating heights. All across the world, freak weather patterns—and the life-shattering catastrophes they entail—have become the norm. The twenty-first century has entered a new phase.

But Gabrielle Fox’s main concern is a personal one: to rebuild her life after a devastating car accident that has left her disconnected from the world, a prisoner of her own guilt and grief. Determined to make a fresh start, and shake off memories of her wrecked past, she leaves London for a temporary posting as an art therapist at Oxsmith Adolescent Secure Psychiatric Hospital, home to one hundred of the most dangerous children in the country. Among them: the teenage killer Bethany Krall.

Despite two years of therapy, Bethany is in no way rehabilitated and remains militantly nonchalant about the bloody, brutal death she inflicted on her mother. Raised in evangelistic hellfire, the teenager is violent, caustic, unruly, and cruelly intuitive. She is also insistent that her electroshock treatments enable her to foresee natural disasters—a claim which Gabrielle interprets as a symptom of doomsday delusion.

But as Gabrielle delves further into Bethany’s psyche, she begins to note alarming parallels between her patient’s paranoid disaster fantasies and actual incidents of geological and meteorological upheaval—coincidences her professionalism tells her to ignore but that her heart cannot. When a brilliant physicist enters the equation, the disruptive tension mounts—and the stakes multiply. Is the self-proclaimed Nostradamus of the psych ward the ultimate manipulator or a harbinger of global disaster on a scale never seen before? Where does science end and faith begin? And what can love mean in “interesting times”?

With gothic intensity, Liz Jensen conjures the increasingly unnerving relationship between the traumatized therapist and her fascinating, deeply calculating patient. As Bethany’s warnings continue to prove accurate beyond fluke and she begins to offer scientifically precise hints of a final, world-altering cataclysm, Gabrielle is confronted with a series of devastating choices in a world in which belief has become as precious - and as murderous—as life itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Apocalyptic global climate change fuels Jensen's terrifying near-future tale about the human will to survive or, in the case of Bethany Krall, a psychic psychotic teen who stabbed her mother to death, the will to embrace death. Bethany, a patient at Oxsmith Adolescent Secure Psychiatric Hospital in Hadport, England, forms a strong bond with her wheelchair-bound psychologist, Gabrielle Fox. As Gabrielle treats her patient, the world outside the hospital suffers natural disasters foreseen by Bethany after ECT shock therapy. Meanwhile, Bethany has been traumatized by the Faith Wave views of her father, Rev. Leonard Krall, who believes the Rapture is approaching. Since Bethany is convinced she bears the mark of the beast, she fears she won't go to heaven. Gabrielle seeks help from Frazer Melville, a physicist who takes Bethany's catastrophe calendar seriously. In gorgeous prose, Jensen (Egg Dancing) paints a depressing but oddly hopeful portrait of a modern doomsday scenario. (Aug.)
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Review

"Combining the tensions of modern psychology with scientific speculation and social analysis in a speedy plot, Jensen put me rather in mind of Margaret Atwood …a cracking good read." --Sunday Telegraph

"Excellent...beautifully structured....an engaging thriller about a relevant contemporary issue while still respecting the reader’s brain cells… you’ll be gripped." -- Irvine Welsh, The Guardian



"[A] rollicking eco thriller that successfully high-octane action with a prescient overview of the dangers of climate change....this smart, salient author creates a scenario in which environmental calamity is the backdrop to a gripping tale of love, death and religion, set in the not-too-distant future.....deliciously apocalyptic and jammed full of ideas, this is storytelling at its rapturous best."--Daily Mail



Advance Praise for THE RAPTURE

“A first-class apocalyptic thriller of futuristic science, geophysics, and religion.  It's clever, intelligent, and—most terrifying of all—plausible”
—Kate Mosse, author of Labryinth and Sepulchre

“Liz Jensen writes with crackling insight into the workings of the mind caught up in cataclysms within and without. In The Rapture she has created worlds torn apart and takes us close—too close—to faith caught in the storm. A devastating tale.”
—Keith Donahue, author of Angels of Destruction and The Stolen Child

“In this modern world of religious warfare and global warming, The Rapture is as topical as it is thrilling. Beautifully written, haunting, and thoroughly entertaining. The gripping tension of Lost mixed with the poetic poignancy of The Bell Jar. I simply could not stop turning pages.”
—Matthew Quick, author of the Silver Linings Playbook

"Liz Jensen's exciting thriller often feels as frightening and prophetic as the sixteen-year-old girl at its center. The Rapture is a terrific novel, expertly written, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling."
—Kevin Guilfoile, author of Cast of Shadows

“Superb writing, riveting characters--Jensen takes you on a fast ride toward a dark future, with frightening twists and breathless turns.  The Rapture is addictive reading, brilliant and fascinating.  I couldn't put it down!”
—Joan Johnston, author of Outcast

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385528213
• ISBN-13: 978-0385528214
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rapturous Over "The Rapture"--A Smart and Relentless Thriller, August 4, 2009

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rapture (Hardcover)

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I picked up Liz Jensen's "The Rapture" as a lark. Who doesn't like to contemplate the end of the world as a bit of entertainment? But Jensen's ambitious and original new novel grabbed me within the first few chapters and never let me go. An ingenious combination of eco-thriller, psychological chiller, and apocalyptic/biblical horror story--"The Rapture" is a smart read that is both timely and plausible in its set-up, but mysterious and otherworldly in its execution. It is a rare and beguiling mix of genres that serves the story well through to its powerful and exciting climax.

At the heart of "The Rapture" is an intriguing, damaged heroine. Gabrielle Fox is a therapist rebuilding her life after an accident has killed her family and left her paralyzed. Vulnerable and raw, she is charged with a new patient--a sixteen year old girl who viciously murdered her mother. Manipulative and disturbed, Bethany Krall also seems to have a talent for predicting natural disasters. Gabrielle struggles to uncover a logical explanation--is it a hoax, dementia, or something more unexplainable? But can Gabrielle handle the truth? As more of Bethany's visions come true, the debate of science versus faith becomes a pivotal element as a dangerous end is foretold.

I found "The Rapture" to be enthralling. The characters are well drawn. Gabrielle, especially, displays much depth as she explores these uncharted mysteries. And Bethany is a terrific construct. Is she a prophet or a demon or a deranged girl out to cause trouble? There is a lot of scientific discussion in "The Rapture" due to the ecological implications of what is happening--which might have slowed a lesser novel down. Ditto for religious conjecture. But Jensen expertly weaves her plot points together so that the momentum never wanes. And, refreshingly, "The Rapture" doesn't chicken out and provide easy answers. Many of the questions it raises, especially in regard to Bethany, are left up to interpretation--so different people may respond differently--which is fantastic! I loved "The Rapture," which came as a huge surprise! It's an intelligent thriller with genuine thrills that never dumbs down or compromises its story. KGHarris, 8/09.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rapture, November 23, 2009

By 

Jasmyn A. Dieck "Jasmyn" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rapture (Hardcover)

60. The Rapture by Liz Jensen

I wish I could remember who recommended this one, I owe them a massive thank you. It is definately one of my memorable reads for the year.

Bethany is troubled to say the least. Currently being treated in a youth mental facility after violently killing her mother. As a last resort the facility begins sessions of ECT, electroshock therapy. Suddenly, Bethany claims she can predict the natural disasters that are plaguing the world more and more often. Her new therapist Gabrielle, who is fighting her own personal demons, is put to the task of getting to the bottom of it, but the bottom is not what anyone expects. Bethany predicts a disaster like none other....one that will be the end of everything as we know it.

Both Bethany and Gabrielle are fighting their demons, and they need each other to fight them off. The characters we both fascinating to me. The way they interact is perfect. Their story unfolds and brings other characters to them in a way that takes you to into the story as well. The story ends in a way that I never quite saw coming, and in a sad way everyone gets what they want (I'm really not giving much away here I promise).

If you can get your hands on this book...do it. You will not regret it.

5/5

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A can't-miss read for lovers of apocalyptic fiction, January 10, 2010

By 

Erin K. Simons "Aspiring writer, voracious re... (Central Indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rapture (Hardcover)

A powerful story with characters I connect with can actually have a physical impact on me - my stomach churns, my heart races, my palms sweat.

That said, after turning the final page of The Rapture by Liz Jensen, I felt like I had just run a marathon. The book is full of emotion, tension, suspense and well-researched information -- all of the ingredients of a great novel.

The Rapture introduces Gabrielle Fox, a beautiful but deeply damaged clinical psychologist. Paralyzed from the waist down, Gabrielle has come to Oxsmith, a hospital for criminally insane youth in Hadporth, England, to start anew personally and professionally. She leaves behind a tragic and traumatic history in London that has left her broken physically and emotionally.

Gabrielle becomes fixated on one of her art therapy patients, 16-year-old Bethany Krall, the daughter of a fanatical Faith Wave pastor who brutally murdered her mother two years earlier. Bethany is having apocalyptic visions of natural disasters worldwide, drawing highly detailed and accurate pictures of events that have yet to happen, from a megahurricane in Brazil to a major earthquake in Istanbul.

Gabrielle spends the rest of the book trying to decipher Bethany's disturbing prophecies, to determine whether the girl is a psychotic or a gifted and to figure out how much she's willing to invest in the visions - and the millions of lives at stake if they're true. The therapist's personal drama is backdropped by scenes of global political upheaval, disease, climate change and social chaos that further whip the book's atmosphere into a frenzy that builds toward a truly unforgettable ending.

I thought Jensen's writing was breathtaking. She uses language that is rich in both imagery and vocabulary -- I think I would have loved the book no matter what its topic, just because of the way the author writes. Her characters are deeply flawed and very human -- although sometimes frustratingly so. Gabrielle is at times infuriating in her self-doubt and paranoia, but her troubled psyche is key to the plot.

The story is sometimes painful to read, and Jensen doesn't pull her punches. This is apocalyptic fiction, folks. Don't expect a sunshine-and-rainbows ending. The events contained within are disturbing and realistically plausible, and have very well given me something else to sit up at night worrying about. Jensen's end-of-days horror is not a recycled asteroid-hits-Earth scenario, but a well-researched threat that I'll look forward to reading more about in the future.

Jensen does infuse the end of The Rapture with a shred of bittersweet hope for the future, uncertain and difficult as it may be for her characters, and the world.