Abstract

This story follows a family’s journey through a post apocalyptic western United States. A father, his wife, their teenage daughter and young son are heading inland from a crowded and dangerous coast. Though the nature of what caused the apocalyptic changes remains enigmatic, the effects on humans are sickness and ultimately death. Early in the novel, the family is captured by a group of former prison inmates who were freed after the apocalyptic events. The former convicts possess a compound, that when mixed with urine and water, can signify if the water is clean and safe to drink. These three convicts, along with their new prisoners, continue heading inland in search of food, shelter, and most importantly, clean water. Flies, which are unaffected by sickness, thrive in this environment, plaguing every step of the group’s journey.
A Gospel of Flies intends to explore themes of survival, specifically through adaptation and elements of Stockholm syndrome. The story aims to explore what it takes to survive in the face of rapid change, and what the characters in the story must contend with both internally and externally. The drastic changes to the world and society that the family must contend with seem more easily navigated by former criminals whose previous life of chaos seems to condition them to this harsh new reality.