The Girl behind the Red Rope

July 29, 2019
Ted Dekker (Rise of the 49th Mystic) and daughter Rachelle (When Through Dark Waters) team up in this exciting odyssey through a Christian apocalyptic world. For 13 years, members of the Holy Family Church have been living in Haven Valley, Tenn., safely tucked away from furies that are cleansing the immoral world of evil and darkness. They live under the protection of Sylous, an angel who warned them of the apocalypse—with the condition they follow his laws and remain pure. Nineteen-year-old Grace has been helping her older brother, Jamie, slip past the guards to explore beyond the red rope perimeter; but when his trips are discovered, both are banished from the community. After they are attacked by furies and Jamie is injured, they return to Haven Valley. After they are reluctantly welcomed back, Jamie has a renewed faith and conviction towards Sylous and the purpose of Haven Valley, but Grace is filled with more doubts than ever. When two strangers enter Haven Valley, they befriend Grace and reveal outside knowledge that forces the community to splinter. The Dekkers have conjured a propulsive end-of-the-world saga that doubles as a provocative examination of religious obedience and faith.

Starred review from September 1, 2019
Fear is the crux of safety and understanding in the confines of Haven Valley's fragile religious ecosystem where chosen believers await salvation from the impending destruction of the world. But whispers of doubt begin to unravel Grace Weather's loyalties, desires, and beliefs. When a stranger arrives at the secluded community, and a boy's safety is entrusted to Grace, it will take every strength she has for her to navigate a world in which she is now clueless as to whom or what to trust or believe. The further she gets from what she thought she understood, the more she wonders if she is devolving into madness or escaping from it. In this mind-bending inspirational thriller, father-daughter writing team Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker triumph in their faultlessly structured and deconstructed world of religious extremism. They expose the intensely chaotic uncertainty on which Haven Valley relies and consider themes of fear and freedom, wisdom and captivity with provoking theological questions. The powerful metaphors woven into this eerie tale are meant to be savored, but the book's suspenseful plot drives the story forward at a racing pace, making this a riveting novel that will long haunt readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)