Shaken Free

She went to Hell and returned to life. Hell was the easy part.

Annie Maple died, went to Hell, then escaped back to Earth through a mysterious portal. But amidst her gratitude, she is painfully alone: no one believes her story of visiting the afterlife. When unexpected tragedy strikes, Annie returns to Hell with old and new allies—the Hun horseman Trua whom she loves, the fumbling revolutionary Haisheng, and Kezia, a devout Christian widow with losses of her own. As Annie learns that the systemic ruptures in Hell go far beyond her own “shaking loose,” she embarks on a quest to protect earthly life and answer the question: how can a supposedly just God permit a universe with so much injustice?

Praise

“Magical, satirical, and full of insight about what makes us human.”
Michael David Lukas, author of The Last Watchman of Old Cairo

“Whatever you believe about God—or even if you don’t believe—Ilana DeBare’s beautifully written novel will move and inspire you with its story of love and redemption.”
Lindsey Crittenden, author of The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray