Selah

A story of religious trauma, hope, and womanhood set against a backdrop of Christian fundamentalism Selah Bowman has visions of the Second Coming. She also doesn't legally exist. Born on the kitchen floor to parents who chose not to file a birth certificate, Selah is homeschooled and raised to be a wife and mother. But she might never get the chance: the rapture is due any minute. When she's not shooting guns in the woods or escaping into daydreams of mythical beasts, she's haunted by terrors of the end. All Selah wants is to grow up before the world burns. Seizing her chance at adulthood before it's gone forever, teenage Selah agrees to a hasty marriage with Seth, a sheltered farm boy from church. She tries her hardest to be happy, but jarring realities lurk beneath the surface of married life. Selah is shaken in her belief that roles and rules equal blessing and authority figures always mean well. Hamstrung by self-doubt and growing paranoia, Selah must wrestle with her fear, her faith, and the lies she's been told if she is to forge a future of her own. Goodreads Review: "I could not put the book down. Liana guides readers into the world of fundamental and legalistic Christianity in "Selah". From page one I stayed up as late as I could to see what happened to Selah and every turn was filled with another challenge that kept me turning pages. The story made me laugh, cry, ponder, and even disentangle some legalistic teachings that I had to let go of and replace those with the truth. At some points it is hard to read as Selah faces very authoritative and manipulative antagonists, but her freedom ultimately comes." -Maria

Pages: 372, Paperback, Agathos Press