It takes a true wordsmith to pack all that's in this book without being preachy. Oh, yes, there's preaching: Hannah Payne grew up in a strict religious household, wearing drab clothing and being trained in the ways of obedient womanhood. She's not to ask questions, but simply have faith. 
 Aiden Dale, the reverend of their church, is the picture of Christianity. Head of charities, dedicated to his congregation, and also the man responsible for Hannah's pregnancy. Their love affair was passionate, secretive, and ultimately cut short when she was discovered to have had an abortion, which is now considered murder. 
 This isn't just a literary journey of "finding yourself." When Hannah is "chromed" (a procedure that leaves her skin red, like the blood of her unborn child), she questions everything. She lands in jail, then a halfway house, and then a literal journey where she doesn't know the destination, only that she has to get there. 
 She questions everything, every step of the way. She questions God. She questions society. She questions herself. Her development is gradual, picking off one little thing at a time, until at the end you realize just how much she's changed. No, Hannah's not the same girl she was when she woke in the prison cell. Or perhaps she is--she's just had the opportunity to decide for herself who she is. 
 God and religion play a huge role in this, and I'm so pleased with how it's presented. Hannah doesn't transform into a crazy heathen--her faith is deep-rooted, and she tries to mold it around what she now knows of the world. She questions Him, and she gets angry at Him. She may not understand Him, but He still has a presence in her life. And that's the most accurate and realistic depiction of God I've ever read in fiction. 
 Also, the halfway house is the creepiest thing I've ever read and still gives me uneasy shivers. (She way she "graduated" from there is glorious.)