Vivian versus the apocalypse by Katie Coyle
Hot Key Books, 2013. ISBN 9781471402173.
(Age 15+) Highly recommended. 2012 Guardian/Hot Key Books Young
Writers Prize. Dystopian fiction. Cults. Religion. Road trips.
Seventeen year old Vivian Apple returns home to find two holes in
her parents' ceiling. They have disappeared in the Rapture. Worthy
members of the Church of America have saved, and her parents appear
to be part of that group of Believers. However Vivian begins to
believe that they are alive somewhere, and as the weather begins to
create chaos, and the Believers become dangerous, she and her friend
Harp are joined by Peter and a heavily pregnant Edie on a mission to
find them.
This is a compulsively clever, engrossing read that I had to finish
in one sitting, and really worthy of being a co-winner of the
Guardian/Hot Key Books Young Writers Prize, with Joe Ducie, the
author of The rig. Quite unique in its plot, Coyle plunges the
reader into a world where religious fundamentalism has taken over
and everyone is expected to obey the dictates of the Church of
America's leader, Frick. Vivian is cynical about the religion and
had always doubted the advent of the Rapture and can hardly believe
that her parents have left her alone to fend for herself. Armed with
a sledgehammer and accompanied by her friends, she embarks on a
thrilling road trip across America to the place where Peter believes
the Church is located. On the way they encounter bad weather and a
strange group called the New Orphans, whose commune life is
strangely appealing.
This is not your usual dystopian novel, with a strong female
protagonist and a gorgeous boy romance. While Vivian is feisty, she
questions her beliefs and those of the people around her. She is not
perfect but her coming of age is central to the novel and she is not
afraid to take action and responsibility for those actions. The
characters of Harp, Peter and Edie are equally well portrayed and
the road trip sees them growing as individuals as well. There is
some love interest but Vivian's growth towards adulthood is more
important than romance.
Coyle does not shy away from social commentary in this novel. With
witty remarks and wry humour, the reader is often lead along a path
of thinking about society and what makes it hold together. The
themes of fundamental religion, peer pressure, advertising, parental
responsibility and nature versus nurture are ones to ponder long
after reading this novel.
This would be a wonderful class novel or literature circle book. It
is not too long at 288 pages and is a compulsive read that would be
sure to appeal to a teenage audience. Readers could then be led to
the dystopian novels of authors such as Margaret Atwood, Kazuo
Ishiguro and George Orwell.
Pat Pledger