“In this mind-bending thriller, father-daughter writing team Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker triumph in their faultlessly structured and deconstructed world of religious extremism. . . . the book’s suspenseful plot drives the story forward at a racing pace, making this a riveting novel that will long haunt readers.”–Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of … course of history. When evil in its purest form is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure–and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.
Her older brother’s questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she’s seen in a decade set in motion events that will question everything Grace has built her life on. Enemies rise on all sides–but who is the real enemy? And what will it cost her to uncover the truth?
For the first time, bestselling authors Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker team up and deliver an intense, tightly focused ride through the most treacherous world of all.
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I had never read this author before, but the premise sounded interesting, involving a cult-like community in the woods. It is unclear whether this takes place in a dystopian near-future or merely the present day, because we see the world (mostly) through Grace Weather’s eyes. Ted Dekker is clearly a masterful writer, creating characters we care about. His skills kept me engaged almost until the end, where I began skimming, because of the issues I will explain below.
The author dumps us into the mind of a girl in a cult and he did this very well. Almost too well, because by the middle I was chafing. When is the relentless evil ever going to end? I don’t mind reading Christian fiction with edgy elements, but using there is a real distinction between the way evil is treated in a Christian story. The author doesn’t leave us saturated in it for long. Here, he does.
But there is another even greater problem with this story. The author sketches the theology of a cult very well: lip service to Christ, overlaid with the rules and regs of the cult leader. The Pharisee’s creed. However, when the “good guy” shows up, his message is similar: lip service to Christ, overlaid with a warm-fuzzies new message. It’s a gnostic mysticism, light conquers darkness, if you can only believe that it will. Your salvation, so to speak, hinges on your mental gyrations, not Christ. And there is no need of Christ, not really, because in the end everyone is “saved.”
Yikes! I did finally make it to the end, but I cannot recommend this book. Three stars for his writing skill.
The Girl Behind The Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker is a marvellous Christian dystopian novel that will grip you from the start.
The novel has its basis in 1 Corinthians:13 – perfect love casts out all fear. We witness that life is a spiritual battle. It is so much more than we can hear, see and touch. We need the spiritual gift of discernment as we face tough choices in an attempt to uncover the truth.
Fear will always bind us. “Fear me alone, and I will always protect you from evil.” Living in fear is not what God would wish for us. Fear stops us from living out our faith. Whatever we feed will thrive. We need to feed our faith and starve our fears.
We need to be careful as to the voices we listen to. We need the life affirming voice of God. “Afraid that I’ll never be good enough to be clean.” God asks us to come to Him and He will change us. We do not have to clean our act up first. We need to be wary of those who seek to deceive us. In life we may well meet wolves in sheep clothing. We need to be so close to God that we will recognise them when they appear. When we draw near to God and know Him intimately, He will open our eyes and ears to the truth and the truth will set us free.
The authors have produced a fabulous plotline, extremely well thought out and executed. They painted a very sinister atmosphere at times which literally had my hairs standing on end. The evil was palpable as I hung on their every word.
There was a marvellous mix of characters – many claiming to be the guardians of the truth and the only ones to lead the flock to safety. The reader faced a dilemma along with the characters as we tried to work out who were the deceivers and who were the good guys. Some I got correct. Others I was far out.
The whole book was an assault on my senses as I read on high alert due to the masterful pens of this father and daughter team of Ted and Rachelle Dekker.
The Girl Behind The Red Rope was a departure from my usual genre and I am so glad that I branched out as I have ‘discovered’ two new authors. The book was absolutely fabulous but definitely not one to be read at night alone with the curtains drawn. It is however, perfect afternoon reading.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
Enjoyed the story.
/ 5
The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and his daughter Rachelle Dekker was a hard book for me to rate. Honestly I’d probably be more at a 3.5 if I were still doing half stars, and I am currently still processing the full extent of my feelings.
This father/daughter writing duo definitely created a suspenseful Christian fiction novel with a dystopian feel. This was my first time reading a book by either of these authors, but the premise sounded so good that I had to give it a try even though I’m not a huge Christian fiction fan. That being said, I definitely think you need to be a fan of both Christian and dystopian fiction for The Girl Behind the Red Rope to completely work for you.
The big focus of this book is love and light overcoming fear and darkness, and the setting is within a type of Christian cult which made most of the book very interesting for me. I loved the pacing and dystopian feel, but when it got towards the end I found the heavy focus on religion get to be a little too much for me and I ended up skimming some of the book. I think The Girl Behind the Red Rope might be a little on the slow side for some people, but I found the slower burn building suspense for me as I read it, and I really wasn’t sure how this book was going to end.
Song/s the book brought to mind: Shine by Newsboys
Final Thought: Some parts at the end of The Girl Behind the Red Rope did get pretty disturbing, but mostly this was just a good, clean thriller with a strong emphasis on religion. It immediately captured my attention and I did read the book pretty quickly. This was a hard one for me to describe, so I would say if you are a fan of Christian and dystopian novels then you should give it a try for yourself. There was a lot about this book that I liked, but at the end of the day it just wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.
A first-time reader of Ted’s, probably my last. I know, I know, sorry to all of you die-hard fans of Mr. Dekker.
The premise was pretty good but did not follow through for me anyway. For me, it was a story about Christian beliefs, after you weed through yes “the twists and turns” so to speak. Will you be on the right side of the rope when it’s time? Or the wrong side? And should anyone make that decision for you?
You know that old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” well it is very true in this case because I love this cover.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Revell, and this is my own opinion.
This is another book about people who shut themselves off from the outside world to be pure and faithful to the God they perceive. The authors keep you wondering if the characters are angels or demons. If you feel the nudge to stop reading, don’t be deceived that it may be the Holy Spirit. The devil works in many of the same ways. I just wish I could read faster and could have read the book in one sitting. I’m glad I read it to the end. The thoughts expressed here will challenge you to think about what you really see and really believe. Do you live in fear and the darkness or do you live in love and the light? Where do you choose to live?
I’m a fan of dystopian novels, so when I heard about The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker, I knew it was a book that I just had to read sooner rather than later. Everything about the synopsis was calling out my name. Luckily, this book lived up to the hype.
As I stated previously, the synopsis of The Girl Behind the Red Rope definitely left me intrigued. Grace has seen what not following her religious community’s strict rules can bring. However, when a young boy makes his way into their tight community, Grace begins to question everything she’s been taught which puts her in extreme danger.
Everything flowed so smoothly including the pacing which never let me down. I was constantly finding excuses to finish reading The Girl Behind the Red Rope since I had to know what would happen next. While I felt the plot was predictable more often than not, I still really enjoyed this book. I felt like their were no cliff hangers, and all of my questions were answered by the ending.
As for the Christian aspect of this book, it didn’t read like a Christian novel most of the way through. I’d say it was probably around the last quarter of the book where Christianity came into play. I didn’t think it was overly preachy although I think that those who aren’t very spiritual or who are agnostic or are atheist may feel it’s a tad on the preachy side. I would say The Girl Behind the Red Rope is more anti-religion and pro-Christianity overall. That’s what I took from it anyway. It does have a really good message regarding love though which I found really nice to read about.
I very much enjoyed how every character in The Girl Behind the Red Rope was written. I felt like I was actually part of their world, stuck in the same community with them. Grace is a very likable character. I loved how the characters made her feel like a real person by giving her the conflicting thoughts as to who was to be believed throughout the novel. I enjoyed Grace’s thought process about everything throughout the book. While I knew who and what she should choose, it was easy to see why she was so torn. Bobbie and Sylous were both very intriguing characters. I never trusted Sylous from the start, but Bobbie was one character that I wasn’t sure if she actually had Grace’s best interest at heart or if she had ulterior motives. There were times I despised Rose, not because she wasn’t written poorly, in fact, she was written perfectly, but because of how much trust she put into Sylous and how overly judgmental she could be sometimes. I know that Rose was only going on what she thought to be true, but there were just so many times I wanted Rose to disappear! My favorite character was Eli. I loved his innocence and how happy go lucky he was.
Trigger warnings for The Girl Behind the Red Rope include cult mentality, violence, and murder.
All in all, The Girl Behind the Red Rope is such a fantastic read with such a powerful message. The characters are written beautifully, and the plot is done superbly. I would definitely recommend The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker to those aged 15+. Christians will definitely enjoy this book, but I think even non-Christians will probably love it as well.
It has a good message. It kept me interested.
Thank you to Revell and the authors for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Girl Behind The Red Rope
By: Ted Dekker & Rachelle Dekker
*REVIEW*
I didn’t know exactly what to expect from this book. More faith or fiction based? I’m not a huge fan of books that are heavy on faith, but The Girl Behind The Red Rope turned out to be a good mix of belief and fiction. A religious cult living deep in the woods behind a literal red rope, and a girl who truly wonders what will happen if you cross the rope form the story. The rules of the cult say that on the other side the fury/evil will kill/consume you. The question is from where or whom these ideas came in the first place, and are these rules either inherently good or evil at their core? These people blindly believe whatever they are told, and their fears about whatever might be out there keep them rooted in this weird cult mentality. Is it better to embrace the fear and cross the red rope or live with fear in this place for the rest of your life? Not crossing seems to suggest that evil is in charge because it’s the lack of faith that keeps someone from leaving. But, you can also argue that a higher power is keeping these people safe from some terrible evil on the outside by confining them within the rope boundary. It’s a guessing game, and it’s compelling because the answer is not clear, at least not to me. It’s a weird story, but it moves at a good pace and is well written. There are more twists and turns than I expected, and I was intrigued all the way to the end. Overall, it’s a unique read with an underlying faith ideal. It’s the kind of story that you’ll either like or hate because it’s not for everyone, and issues of faith seem to be polarizing most of the time. If it seems like a good premise to you, then I would definitely try it at least. You never know, right?
Interesting take on human nature and how it can go astray.
The Girl Behind the Red Rope
By Ted Dekker
and Rachelle Dekker
Let’s just say that this book has a certain creepy factor that one comes to expect from Ted Dekker’s work. And the opening chapter with Sylous making an appearance to the faithful of Holy Family Church of Clarksville, Tennessee, just smacks of something sinister. But are the impressions of this sighting by then six-year-old Grace accurate or distorted by her youthful views?
Thirteen years have passed and Grace finds herself living in the safety of Haven Valley the secluded valley to which Rose lead them more than a decade ago. As long as they stay behind the red rope that marks the boundary of their safe haven they will be safe from the plague that has and is decimating the outside world. But they have rules that they must follow – rules that will keep them safe – rules to ensure that they stay pure. But when the boundaries that they have always followed are broken just what price will they have to pay to restore their faith and to lay their doubts aside?
The Girl Behind the Red Rope is an intriguing read. One could in a way see oneself in just such a similar situation. What does one surround oneself with for protection from the world around us? What does one let fear drive one to do? It is in such a world that Grace finds herself and now finds herself in conflict with. Is color wrong? Is the feeling of emotion a sin? Is illness an outward manifestation of hidden sin?
This book while entertaining also makes one think deeper about what we do in our own lives. Have we created a prison of our own making created out of our fears? Can coming into the light of truth shatter the lies that have walled us in? If you are looking for a book that is more than words upon a page that offers different layers of depth you won’t want to miss this one. This would make a fantastic book club selection with some many potential topics for discussion.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations but that I offer my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.
After reading Ted Dekker’s Rise of the Mystics, I discovered that he writes from a deep-rooted spiritual point of view and his daughter, Rachelle, has developed the same gifting. The Girl Behind the Red Rope had me questioning where the story was going. Who or what is the Fury the characters keep referring to? Why can’t they go behind the red rope?
My first instinct was to read about half-way through the book before writing a review, but I became enthralled by this gripping story and couldn’t put it down. In one sense The Girl Behind the Red Rope reminded me of a Frank Perriti or Dean Koontz thriller, but this novel was more intense.
This is a powerful, well thought out plot that delves deep into the spiritual realm. Grace strives to obey the laws of Haven Valley, but Jamie, her brother, is quite the inquisitive one. He sneaks beyond the red rope, and it’s security team and returns with questions. Why are people of their town told not to cross the line?
Grace finds herself being pushed out of Haven Valley by the authorities, along with her brother simply because she’d alerted Jamie of the times and areas of security checks so he could explore. They must face the forest and whatever lurks within before they can return, that is, if the Fury doesn’t get them first. Fear entraps their thoughts as they follow a path and move deeper into the darkness.
If you haven’t read this novel, I urge you to do so, but be determined to press through even if you don’t get it at first. You’ll find yourself glued to the story.
I rarely give a novel five stars, but this one is over the top.
This was an interesting book to say the least. There is a cult like feel to the book with a lot of rule following and fear. **You think it will save you, but fear can’t save you. Only love can, and God is love. You can choose the light, which shows itself as love, or you can choose darkness, which shows itself as fear. Not both.**
There is a lot of symbolism throughout the book that in my opinion could mean different things to different people. Which makes this book a soul searching and thought provoking book.
The quote below really sums up what the book is about. It’s about how our fears can overtake us as believer’s and can completely rule us.
“My Fury didn’t have faces, but if they did, they would all be versions of me, and for the first time I truly understood them for what they were. My self-pity, my anxiousness, my anger, my hopelessness, my judgment, my self-criticism, my worthlessness, my victim-hood, my self-righteousness, my disapproval of others, my fear of being deceived, my need to control any situation, my guilt . . . ”
The character’s are well crafted and believable as well as the world that was created for them. I think the Dekker’s are a great father and daughter duo writing team. I’d love to read another book by them.
Great job, guys!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is not the typical Christian fiction that I normally read! The father and daughter writing team of Ted and Rachelle Dekker have created an intriguing tale of Grace and Jamie and the thirteen years that they have lived “behind the red rope” in a secluded community in the hills of Tennessee. Grace was six when she witnessed the appearance of an angel named Sylvanus and what was the beginning of their separation from the outside world. Now, thirteen years later, her brother Jamie begins to question as he secretly begins to slip beyond the perimeter of the red rope to view the outside world. Grace fears that he will be discovered and that they both will be ejected from this place that they call home. It is only when her father and a young boy show up that Grace begins to find errors in much of what she’s been told and she has her own questions that need answering!
The Girl Behind the Red Rope shows how fear can control our lives and how the best intentions can be destroyed by this emotion. I found this to be a fascinating story with intriguing characters and even though I have many questions I do see that love is the central theme among the symbolism used by the authors. The members of this group were like many people: they thought that they must be perfect to earn God’s love but we know that perfection isn’t possible and that God loves all of us. It is His Grace and Jesus’s sacrifice that makes our redemption possible.
The Girl Behind the Red Rope has certainly made me think and it is a book that I want to read again, if only to gain more insight!
I received a copy of this book from Revell but a positive reiew was not required. These are my honest thoughts.
What is real…and what isn’t???
So, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a Ted Dekker book, a really long time, but the title of this one, The Girl Behind The Red Rope, really caught my eye as did the fact that he co-authored it with his daughter, Rachelle Dekker. I haven’t read any of her books as of yet but I was curious to find out how well the two would mesh. They did. Seamlessly.
If you’ve ever read a Ted Dekker book you’ll know that he’s the king of creepy in the Christian fiction world and from The Girl Behind The Red Rope it’s easy to see that Rachelle Dekker is following in her dad’s footsteps. Trust me, this tale of one girl and her family trapped in a cult and controlled by fear is definitely up there on the weirdness scale.
I know that this book has some allegory to it but I have to confess that I’ve never really ‘gotten’ allegory. So, other than saying that a main theme in the book is breaking free of our fears, especially from religious driven fear, well, I’m afraid that anything after that missed me.
I can tell you, however, that The Girl Behind The Red Rope is a riveting tale. Hard to put down, I finished it in record time for a Dekker book. Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker have a winning combination together and I sincerely hope to see more collaborations from them in the future…
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
This is a book of science fiction and a bit of fantasy and a bit of Christianity. What happens when someone is part of a religion and has visions of a savior. This person gets everyone to believe that they are all in danger unless they conform in a certain way. If they conform than they will be saved someday. This is a bit of the premise for this book. This story made me laugh and cry. There are lots of hidden meanings throughout the story. This flows very nicely. I loved the characters. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
The first time I saw this intriguing book cover with the names Ted and Rachelle Dekker printed on it, it went on my TBR list. While this read hits on spiritual truths and the spiritual realm, The Girl Behind the Red Rope didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
The plat was fairly predictable with the characters fitting neatly into their roles to reach the conclusion clearly laid out. I expected at least a couple of gotcha moments from Ted Dekker but they never happened.
However, the book is well written and takes a hard look at where people find their security? Have we become so comfortable and secure in our current situation, we fear stepping out in faith to discover what God may have waiting for us beyond that?
If you’ve not read anything from either of the Dekkers, this is a good place to start as it will give new readers a taste of this father/daughter team.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
In a collaboration with his daughter Rachelle, an author in her own right, Ted Dekker delivers another allegorical novel that brilliantly illustrates the battle between darkness and light, religion and faith. Set almost entirely within an isolated town inhabited by cult members, the tale begins somewhat slowly but develops a momentum that builds strongly to an unexpected climax.
I have personally have had and still have issues with fear and these authors have opened my eyes to just how strongly that fear can imprison us. The use of darkness and light to demonstrate their points was illuminating (if I may be so bold). Several characters appeared during the course of the book whom I found difficult to decide just what their role was – whether a friend or an enemy. As Bobbie said repeatedly, “Don’t trust anyone.” I did think I knew who she was and my guess turned out to be correct. Others became more evident as I drew near to the end.
I really did enjoy “The Girl Behind the Red Rope” and I appreciated everything about it that made me think about my own responses to it. I also found quite a few very quotable lines within the story and I wish I had taken time to mark or copy them. Ted and Rachelle Dekker make a great team and I hope to see more books by them in the future.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
The Girl Behind the Red Rope is a little different of a read I normally read. That being said, I thought it was refreshing to reading something unique. This is one of those books that made me think and take my time to read. I was intrigued right from the start and stayed that way until the end.
I give The Girl Behind the Red Rope four and a half stars. I am recommending it to other readers who enjoy a thought provoking and clean read.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
The beginning of the book really grabbed my attention and intrigued me as to what would transpire as the story was told. Grace and her family are part of a cult, led by a woman named Rose, who hide away in the hills of Tennessee in order to hide from the evil that is going to be unleashed on the world. However, Grace’s father isn’t buying into the rhetoric and Grace and her brother Jamie are raised by their Mother in this strict world that is governed by a being named Sylous.
Haven Valley is a place of rules that nobody is allowed to question. The community is surrounded by a red rope, which symbolizes safety and must never be crossed. However, Jamie ventures out into the world and soon has Grace wanting to know more. Can they face the Fury and live to tell about it? Or, will they bring destruction down upon themselves and everybody else in the community?
The story seems to be based on Biblical principles in a way, but there is also a heavy supernatural element throughout the book. It is never explained who or what the Fury are and the “imaginary” beings of Bobbie (whom only Grace can see) and Sylous (Rose’s special spiritual guide) are never revealed as to whether they are good or evil. The Fury are the beings that are supposed to bring about the world’s destruction, but we are never told what they are or where they came from.
Then, you have the reappearance of Grace and Jamie’s father, accompained by a mysterious boy named Eli. Is Eli really Lukas, their (supposedly) dead brother? Or is he something more?
There is a recurrent theme throughout the book: “There is no fear in love. Only love casts out fear.”
“Even here, in a place with perfect laws to keep you safe, there is danger.”
“Sin is a choice you make. Just follow the rules and you’ll be safe.”
“Fear can’t save you. Only love can, and God is love.”
I felt like the authors went out of their way to pound this theme into the reader’s head. I can’t tell you how many times the above quotes were repeated in various ways throughout the book. All in all, I found myself becoming bored during some of the long discussions of good and evil. It seemed like the authors were trying a little too hard to drive home the point that Fear is bad and won’t keep you safe.
Also, some of the characters switched their convictions very quickly without enough explanation for their actions. At first, Jamie is the rebel who is questioning everything, but after one night outside the community, he becomes the biggest robot of all, blindly following Rose and Sylous.
The story is fairly entertaining, but I feel very conflicted about it in a lot of ways. It isn’t truly a Christian book, but it also isn’t really a supernatural book either. I guess that sums up my feelings about the book: not sure what to make of it!
This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group through Interviews and Reviews.