Based on a completely fascinating bit of history (which I'd never heard of before)- this novel is a fictionalized look at Bedford's Panacea Society.
In the aftermath of WW1, numerous psychic / religious sects grew up, as the bereaved sought meaning for their sufferings. In 1920s Bedford, the widow of a clergyman- Mabel Barltrop - reinvents herself as Prophet Octavia. With a number of devotees - mainly female - we enter a strange world of holy water (rendered thus by soaking a square of linen on which Octavia has breathed); anticipation at the foretold opening of Joanna Southcott's box of wonders and much self-criticism, signs from above, a conviction of their immortality...and that the garden is on the site of the Garden of Eden....
Narrated by the Prophet's daughter Dilys (a troubled, apparently anorexic soul) this was sufficently intriguing to cause me to order a biography of Octavia.
The story here is about a *3. There's a LOT of lesbian longings for the (entirely fictional) servant Grace (no evidence that Dilys actually had any such feelings.) And Dilys' beliefs about the religion seemed confused- on one hand "seeing through" it, yet a feeling of being tied (partly due tothe leader being her mother.) And again, history indicates she DID return to the society. But a highly intriguing topic. I hope the biography will clarify how something so patently out-of-kilter wiith the Scriptures (and whose Prophet was actually once in a lunatic asylum) managed to attract such a following.Certainly the novel indicates it was no kind of spiritual haven, with a second-in-command seeking power at all costs, and Octavia herself prey to headaches and fault finding if her followers ate too noisily or irritated in any way.... ( )

It's healthy to be reminded, ever so often, that history can be stranger than any fiction. Claire McGlasson's debut novel, which will be published on 6 June, brings to life an odd slice of British history from 1926, when the Panacea Society flourished in Bedford. Largely made up of women who had lost husbands, brothers or sons in the Great War, the Society is centred on the figure of Octavia, a prophetess and self-proclaimed Daughter of God, who claims to have been sent to pave the way for the return of Jesus. While Octavia's convictions inspire many of her followers, the Society's youngest member Dilys finds the cult atmosphere increasingly stifling. Dilys has never experienced any of the visions or visitations described by her fellow members and has concluded that God has no plan for her. But, when she introduces a new member to the community, Dilys dares to hope that maybe life will start to have a purpose after all.

For the full review, please see the link below (going live on 8 May 2019):
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/05/08/the-rapture-claire-mcglasson ( )