From New York Times bestselling author Alice LaPlante comes a mesmerizing novel of destruction and renewal as a headstrong young woman joins a doomsday cult only to find salvation on an unexpected journey. LaPlante's acclaimed psychological thrillers are distinguished by their stunning synthesis of family drama and engrossing suspense, and Coming of Age at the End of Days delves even deeper into the creases of domestic life.
As an earnest young girl, Anna learned to fit in by hiding her quirks from her parents and friends. But at sixteen, a sudden depression takes hold of her life, and she loses her sense of self and purpose as well as the will to conform. Then the Bible-touting Goldschmidts move in next door. Anna is awestruck by both their charismatic son, Lars, and their fervent violent prophecies for the Tribulation at the End of Days.
Within months, Anna's life?her family, her home, her very identity?will undergo profound change. Yet when her newfound beliefs and misguided convictions bear irrevocable consequences, she must find the strength to persevere with the help of unlikely friends: Jim, a childhood crush wading through a quarter-life crisis in his parents' basement, and Clara, her compassionate chemistry teacher desperate for adventure.
Coming of Age at the End of Days is a deeply affecting portrait of love and faith, grief and redemption, and family legacies. LaPlante brilliantly parses an altered mind on the brink, exploring the often perilous, always challenging journey to become the people we want to be at the end of our days.
