Editorial Content for American Rapture

CJ Leede’s new novel, AMERICAN RAPTURE, blends horror into a traditional coming-of-age tale, gives it a healthy dose of romance, and burns American religious hypocrisy and climate crisis short-sightedness to the ground. Lest you think this sounds like too much for one book, trust Leede to manage it and do so with complex characters, an interesting landscape, and a good amount of blood and gore.

Sophie Allen is not a typical teenager. Homeschooled by fundamentalist Catholic parents for much of her life, the fear of hell and satanic forces were always on her mind. Her refuge was her twin brother, Noah. They both sought comfort in a frightening world and were constant companions in their isolation. One terrible night results in Noah being sent away, and Sophie’s sorrows and pain only increase. Her parents do allow her to attend an all-girls Catholic school, but even there she is lonely and mostly alone.

"CJ Leede’s narrative is a propulsive ride through the apocalypse, and her characters are drawn with complexity. This fantastic post-pandemic vision cuts to the quick of American culture."

Now at 16, Sophie attracts the attention of some cruel girls and their aggressive boyfriends, and it appears that things are getting even worse. She is afraid of being in their spotlight but also compelled by the energy and sexuality they exude. Before the situation gets even further out of hand, a crisis erupts that changes Sophie and her world forever.

A new epidemic is on the rise. Not only is it highly communicable and fatal, it causes the most unsettling behavior in those infected. Coming down with the virus, colloquially known as Sylvia, turns its victims into sexually violent zombies. For the virginal and very sheltered Sophie, this is an unimaginable horror. Before long, though --- on her own, running both from and to danger in order to find Noah --- she doesn’t have to imagine what the virus does. She sees it with her own eyes.

Stranded on the highway, with traffic at a standstill and savagery all around her, Sophie is rescued by a young police officer named Maro Verges. While she is determined to find her brother, Maro wants to keep her safe. Their aims are at odds and continually thwarted. Eventually they form a sort of family with a handful of others who find themselves stuck at a safety center. In this most extreme of situations, they all bond quickly and find that their human desires --- for love, friendship, sex and understanding --- haven’t been destroyed.

Sophie is trying to survive in an American Midwest ravaged by disease and uncertainty, but she also is finally learning realities about the world around her. And she is falling in love. Religious crusaders bring vengeance, storms are raging day and night, there doesn’t seem to be any place that is safe for Sophie and her new friends, and she still hasn’t found Noah. Yet Sophie, especially with the support of a remarkably insightful and beautiful boy named Ben, refuses to give up. 

AMERICAN RAPTURE is frantic and tender, frightening and thoughtful, an ode to discovery, acceptance and unconditional love, and a scathing indictment of the close-minded and bigoted. CJ Leede’s narrative is a propulsive ride through the apocalypse, and her characters are drawn with complexity. This fantastic post-pandemic vision cuts to the quick of American culture.