Edward and the Wilderness — Charles Martin

It alternated between hilarious and chilling—and at odd moments I found it comforting, too. I think growing up in a faith tradition that repressed questioning and critical thinking made some of us more comfortable with questions that answers, and art is always a good place to work that out. —Kristen, Goodreads Book 2 of 3After being exiled from God's campground, Edward and the rest of campers must find their place in the Wilderness where factions struggle to control the fate of the Island. The End of the World isn't the End of the Story. Sixty-three souls plucked from Heaven are thrust into an experimental new universe. Haunted by the dark memories of their past lives on Earth and forced to live in an isolated community, a small group bands together to strike out into the new world and uncover the secrets of the Island. This is the second of three novels about Edward and the rest of the exiles trapped in a beta test conducted by their despondent god.