'The Rapture' by Liz Jensen

Aileen Ormoc
Contributor
A riveting and fast-paced novel, The Rapture by Liz Jensen is a whirlwind of catastrophic events that grabs its readers and won’t let go until the very last page.
The story deals with Gabrielle, a troubled therapist, and her patient, Bethany, a young teen charged with the brutal murder of her mother. On top of Bethany’s deep-seated family issues, Gabrielle discovers that her patient is plagued with apocalyptic visions of the future. On the brink of disaster, issues of death, religion and morality come into play as they try to warn the rest of the world that the end is near.
From the moment I read the first page, I knew I was hooked. For the first time in a long time, I could not put a book down. The story felt like a movie playing in my head as the author was so intimate and descriptive that almost nothing is vaguely left to the imagination.
I admired Jensen’s brutal honesty in the text, and the emotion it transfers onto the reader is executed well enough that at times the pain was palpable. The sheer horror I felt after discovering the reason behind the murder of Bethany’s mother and the feeling of insecurity I shared with Gabrielle was something entirely new to me.
Doomsday novels are usually not my cup of tea, but unlike most books in this genre, The Rapture offers much more. There is something for everyone, whether you are a lover of science fiction, action, or romance. What makes the novel so captivating is its ability to tap into the fear of the unknown – something everyone can relate to. The author essentially asks: if the world went up in smoke, what would you do? Personally, the book has made me re-evaluate what and who I consider important in my life.
The Rapture is a definite page-turner: if you enjoy novels that keep you on the edge of your seat, I guarantee this will be a hard one to put down.

The Rapture was published on August 11, 2009.