** spoiler alert ** What a massive premise to try and pull off. A rapture like event, where millions of people all over the planet simply evaporate. It can't be the rapture though, at least not the skewed Christian version of it, because a lot of Christians are left behind - devastated that their version of God has forsaken them, and a lot of people from varying faiths, including atheists and a few random celebrities have gone. There are some good character ideas in this book. I really liked how the minister loses the plot and starts dirt files on all the locals who departed, trying to ascertain in his own mind why has he sacrificed his life to serve a God that has left him behind? That was great, but there wasn't enough of it.

One story line just left me furious at the end, and that was the story of Laurie. Laurie is a mum, married to Kevin and they have two children. No-one from her immediate family departs, only the daughter of her best friend does. So sort of in sympathy to her friend, whom she has helped grieve (maybe wallow is a better word) in the loss of her daughter they join the local cult. Lots and lots of cults have popped up all over the planet, I can realistically see something like that happening. I mean there would be a lot of questions floating around after an event like that. So her friend joins the cult and then without any explanation at all, not even a sentence devoted to it, Laurie does the same thing too. It is like the author leaves the big question unanswered (where did all these people go?), so he has a licence to leave a whole raft of other important questions and developments unanswered. It just strikes me as wrong, most people actually would not do what Laurie (a caring mum) does.

There are some positive elements in the book. I really enjoyed reading about Nora, her reactions and actions, did strike me as real, as did most of the things Tom and Jill do (Lauries children). Meh, seems as good a word as any to describe how I feel about it.