You probably have a pretty good idea about the topic of Alice LaPlante's new novel just by looking at its rather lengthy title. And in many ways you'd be right; it’s about a teenager growing up in a time of uncertainty and potential apocalypse. But COMING OF AGE AT THE END OF DAYS is, of course, far more complicated than its title would suggest on the surface, and it marks a new direction for its author, whose previous two books were more easily recognizable as literary thrillers --- unique ones to be sure, but thrillers nonetheless.

LaPlante’s latest is more of a character study of the teenager Anna, 16 when we first meet her. Anna lives in Sunnyvale, California, a Silicon Valley suburban community where nothing particularly notable ever happens. It's not even that close to potential fault lines, Anna's earthquake-obsessed father notes with more than a hint of regret, although he has optimistically packed their cellar with canned goods and bottled water regardless.

Anna's parents are loving and supportive, even if they have a complicated history of their own and even if they are sometimes too busy pursuing their own passions to pay attention to Anna. When, at age 16, Anna succumbs to a deep depression accompanied by periodic hallucinations, they try to do the right thing --- taking her to therapy, encouraging her to talk with them --- but they seem largely clueless and ineffective at reaching out to her, leaving her to feel increasingly alone.

"[D]espite its at times melodramatic bent, COMING OF AGE AT THE END OF DAYS is the kind of book that will inspire fierce debate, not only about its merits but also about its content."

That is, until Lars Goldschmidt and his parents move onto their insular suburban street. Lars, not shy about proselytizing, approaches Anna right away and encourages her to join his family at worship services. Anna, who had previously enjoyed reading the Bible aloud with her secular humanist mother, accepts the invitation --- and is sucked into a doomsday sect bent on hastening the end times.

Almost immediately, Anna becomes a passionate convert, believing her own dreams and visions to have real relevance for the church's projects. Others seem to believe that she might be Chosen as well, and she is encouraged to devote her life to the mission --- as soon as she is old enough to be emancipated from her parents.

Complicating Anna's single-minded pursuit of her new religious fervor (about which her parents seem, at least at first, oddly unconcerned) are her feelings for her across-the-street neighbor Jim, a few years older than her, and by her reluctant admiration for her beautiful and enigmatic chemistry teacher (who also happens to be involved in a relationship with Jim). When a tragedy upends Anna's small world, she begins to think about the end times in a different light. But will she continue to pursue Lars' vision, or will she find her own path?

Certainly vulnerable young people land in cults all the time, so Anna's story shouldn't feel as far-fetched as it sometimes does, but her immediate switch from depression and agnosticism to single-minded religious fanaticism seems more than a bit of a leap. Her tendency to spout Scripture at the drop of a hat also strains credulity, as does the novel's second half, which finds a slightly older Anna on the run from the law.

Where LaPlante's novel makes up for these shortcomings is in its complex consideration of religious faith as a sort of obsession, one that is mirrored in Anna's parents' passions for music and seismology. Put in these terms, Anna's rapid conversion might not seem so unlikely, and LaPlante raises questions about mental fragility, vulnerability, and a variety of paths toward wholeness, many of which will find resonance among readers. The Epilogue seems tacked-on and largely unnecessary, raising more questions than it answers. But despite its at times melodramatic bent, COMING OF AGE AT THE END OF DAYS is the kind of book that will inspire fierce debate, not only about its merits but also about its content.