DATE: Thursday, May 1, 1997                 TAG: 9705010066

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E7   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Book review 

SOURCE: Audrey Knoth, correspondent

LENGTH: 34 lines

AUTHOR WALKS LINE BETWEEN RELIGION, LIFE

Excerpts from The Virginian-Pilot's review, originally published Jan. 21, 1996:

WRITING FICTION with religious themes is not easy, particularly when the goal is to be accessible to secular readers.

In ``The Rapture of Canaan,'' author Sheri Reynolds succeeds admirably at this task. In keeping with the title's reference to the Bible's promised land, the story portrays a group of people who have centered their lives on their religious beliefs. But the novel portrays human complexities in a way that speaks to a broad audience.

The tale is narrated by Ninah Huff, a teen-ager who has grown up in a rural fundamentalist sect in the South. Known as ``The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind,'' the group consists of about 80 people, many of whom are Ninah's relatives.. . .

The book chronicles Ninah's maturing within this rigid setting, one in which vanity and sexuality are suppressed by shapeless clothing and strict punishments, such as sleeping on nettles or in graves. Inevitably, these measures fail to protect Ninah from pregnancy and ensuing tragedy.. . .

Yet, there are moments of joy - simple pleasures that can only come of being part of a tight-knit group that lives close to the land. . . .

Reynolds made a critical splash with her first novel, ``Bitterroot Landing.'' This book is a worthy successor - gracefully written and jeweled with insight into human nature.

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