Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2010
384 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
"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."
"Starred Review. This is a masterfully human and compassionate tale." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. ... Bohjalian brings his trademark brand of astute character development to these delightfully ambiguous portraits of suspects, victims, and accusers alike..." - Booklist
"Starred Review. A fantastic choice for book clubs, this novel deals beautifully with controversial topics of domestic abuse, faith, and adultery without resorting to sensationalism." - Library Journal
"As much as I love Bohjalian's books—I've read most of them—Secrets may become my favorite. Book groups will eat this one up." - Carol Katsoulis, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, Ill
This information about Secrets of Eden was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Chris Bohjalian is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three books, including Hour of the Witch, The Red Lotus, Midwives, and The Flight Attendant, was the basis for the hit HBO Max television series starring Kaley Cuoco. His other books include The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; and The Double Bind. His novels Secrets of Eden, Midwives, and Past the Bleachers were made into movies, and his work has been translated into more than thirty-five languages. He is also a playwright (Wingspan and Midwives). He lives in Vermont.
Author Interview
Link to Chris Bohjalian's Website
Name Pronunciation
Chris Bohjalian: boh-ZHAHL-ee-yen
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