IVP is pleased to announce that The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell was honored with the gold Illumination Book Award in the General Fiction category. The Illumination Book Awards are designed to “shine a light” on the best of these new titles written and published with a Christian worldview.

In psychologist Kelly Flanagan’s nonfiction works (Loveable, True Companions), he drew from clinical insight to explore the spiritual depths of identity and relationships. Now, in this debut novel titled The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell, he weaves a page-turning and plot-twisting tale that brings new life to those insights, along with fresh revelations about personal growth, spiritual transformation, and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships.

Cheryl Grey Bostrom, author of Sugar Birds, said, “Tuesdays with Morrie meets The Shack in The Unhiding of Elijah Campbell. A pitch-perfect page-turner of a story about one man’s dismantling and reconstruction as he collides with his past. Authentic, heart-rending, absorbing, and wise, this book hits the bull’s-eye of psychological and spiritual relevance. I closed the cover with new clarity, new conviction and, I hope, new capability to forgive and love.”

Elijah Campbell is on the verge of losing his writing career, his faith, and his marriage when a recurring childhood nightmare drives him back to his hometown, Bradford’s Ferry. There, his encounters with loved ones both past and present shed light on the reason his wife left him—and the meaning of his nightmare. However, beyond the light he begins to glimpse something even more terrifying—a decision he must make either to continue hiding the secrets of his past or unhide the only thing that can save his marriage: himself.

“I knew from the first page that Elijah Campbell was a special character,” said Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and All Manner of Things. “Every chapter, paragraph, and sentence that I read proved me right. This novel is infused with gentle storytelling that reminded me of Wendell Berry, elegant prose that brought to mind Marilynne Robinson, and salt of the earth characters reminiscent of Leif Enger. The great delight that I found while reading, however, was what Kelly Flanagan brought to this story that only he could—a deep insight into what makes us human and how that makes us worthy of being seen and known.”

Flanagan (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is a clinical psychologist and is the founder of Artisan Clinical Associates, a private practice in Naperville, Illinois, that offers services to teens, adults, couples, and families. The author of The Marriage Manifesto, Loveable, and True Companions: A Book for Everyone About the Relationships That See Us Through, he has also written for publications such as Christianity Today, Reader’s Digest, and Huffington Post. In 2014, a letter he wrote to his daughter led to their appearance on the TODAY Show. Flanagan is a popular blogger and speaks regularly on topics related to marriage, parenting, and spiritual formation. 

For a complete list of IVP award winners, visit ivpress.com/award-winners.