Secrets of Eden: A Novel
NOW A LIFETIME TV MOVIE STARRING JOHN STAMOS
From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Midwives, and Skeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice. "There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels. Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her own parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice's daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen - who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.
But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew. Secrets of Eden is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives. Once again Chris Bohjalian has given us a riveting page-turner in which nothing is precisely what it seems. As one character remarks, "Believe no one. Trust no one. Assume all of our stories are suspect."
From the bestselling author of The Double Bind, Midwives, and Skeletons at the Feast comes a novel of shattered faith, intimate secrets, and the delicate nature of sacrifice. "There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . . angels. Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her own parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice's daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen - who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.
But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself. . .and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew. Secrets of Eden is both a haunting literary thriller and a deeply evocative testament to the inner complexities that mark all of our lives. Once again Chris Bohjalian has given us a riveting page-turner in which nothing is precisely what it seems. As one character remarks, "Believe no one. Trust no one. Assume all of our stories are suspect."
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Community Reviews
This book is the typical style of Chris Bohjalian, hooking you right away into the storyline and then weaves a thread of suspicion into each character. The difficult topic of domestic abuse is brought to light, particularly as it leads to an even more difficult topic of murder/suicide. The book is written in sections featuring an in depth look into each character, beginning with Reverend Drew, Catherine ( detective), Heather - a visiting author/artist,who suffered a similar experience with her parents and seeks to insert her into this tragedy. Finally, we have Alice, mother/wife/ murder victim and Katie, Alice’s daughter. I will say, I found the book fascinating with the different twists and turns in the plot line. But, after finishing it I realized the entire book could have been written without Heather’s character, her sister and brother-in-law. They really did not contribute to the story line except to offer an alternative murder suspect. I actually used this book as a referral for two different book clubs I’m a member of and found similar opinions to mine from both groups. I am a fan of this author, so don’t want to throw too much shade his way. I do think if you read the book you will enjoy the suspense and mystery; but, will skip over sections of the book that don’t hold your interest.
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