Reviewed by Curtis Lyons, Head, Special Collections and Archives
VCU alumna Sheri Reynolds writes a poignant novel from the point of view of Ninah Huff, a girl coming of age in an isolated southern religious community led by her grandfather, the founder of the Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind. The Rapture of Canaan was a 1997 Oprah Book Club pick, and describes the past and future of this community and its founder. Squarely in the Southern Gothic literary tradition, this novel culminates with a series of events, perhaps even a miracle, which force Ninah to face the realities of the community and make difficult choices for herself and those who depend on her. The community has its own personality within which its members, all well-developed characters, must reconcile their own.
