"Hell is the Absence of God" is a phenomenal novella, written by Ted Chiang, about God and people's motivations in their relationships with Him.  Taking place in a world literally without blind faith, where angels regularly visit the people, taking the form of natural disasters and leaving both miracle and tragedy in their wake, it is not the faithful who go to Heaven ... but rather those who find it in their hearts to love God, despite His erratic, often unjustified, behavior.  Heaven and Hell are often viewable, as intermittent, impenetrable holes in the sky and ground; Heaven is where those who love God bask in His presence, while Hell is nothing more than a place much like Earth, only wholly absent of God.

The story follows the lives of three people, focusing particularly on one man, who hates God for causing the death of his beloved wife.  He struggles to find some way to love God, however, knowing that his wife awaits him in Heaven ... and he is desperate to be reunited with her.  Both tragic and thought-provoking, "Hell is the Absence of God" has won numerous literary awards, including the highly coveted Hugo award.

I feel honored to have been asked to co-write the screen adaption of this story.  I'm only ten pages into my draft, and already I know this is the beginning of something amazing....

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