Father-daughter dynamic duo Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker have come together to write an incredible novel, “The Girl Behind the Red Rope,” a tale of love and fear, light and darkness.
Thirteen years after the Holy Family Church were given a prophecy of a great cleansing scourge upon the earth, the members now live in the secluded Haven Valley, with a red rope surrounding the community to protect if from the Furies, death and hell itself. They must never, ever cross that red boundary.
They are a people who believe fear protects them — their fear of the law will keep them pure and delivered from all evil.
But when Grace helps her brother sneak outside the community’s perimeter — and a visitor from their past with a special little boy arrives — everything changes. Grace must sort through the truths and the lies, and overcome her fear and guilt to save herself and those she loves.
The Dekkers once again deliver an incredibly mind-blowing, thought-provoking, soul-searching novel with “The Girl Behind the Red Rope.” It will grip you at your very core, changing the way you see yourself and the world. (“There’s light and love seen in true sight, which we call the kingdom. And there’s darkness and fear experienced in blindness, which we can call the world.”)
Readers will definitely pick up on influences of both Ted and Rachelle’s storytelling, like a mysterious boy full of love and light; a strong woman overcoming adversity to find her true self; and a mysteriously powerful waterfall.
“The Girl Behind the Red Rope” deals with so many huge themes: the power that following others blindly and brainwashing can have; overcoming shame, regret and loneliness; searching for buried treasure in the darkest of places; and we can only serve one master.
The major themes of the Dekkers’ novel is darkness versus light — we are the light of the world and darkness cannot exist in the light — and there is no fear in love. (“The biggest lie is that fear will keep you safe in the darkness, but fear is the darkness.”)
There is some mature subject matter in the book, so I would not recommend for younger readers until parents have had a chance to read it for themselves. Fans of authors like Frank Peretti, Travis Thrasher and Shawn Smucker, series like “Left Behind,” or films like “The Village” will love this story.
This was an incredible book and I hope this father and daughter team will collaborate again!
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.