The Bottom Line
Chris Bohjalian is the bestselling author of novels including Midwives, a selection of Oprah's Book Club, and The Double Bind. His new novel is called Secrets of Eden and tells the story of a double murder through the narratives of four people close to the victims. It's not a crime novel, though, but instead a finely tuned portrait of how people react to tragedies, both sudden and expected.
Pros
- 'Secrets of Eden' has a slow building tension, even though the crime happens at the beginning.
Cons
- The title doesn't really capture what the book is about.
Description
- 'Secrets of Eden' by Chris Bohjalian was first published in February 2010.
- Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
- 384 Pages
Guide Review - 'Secrets of Eden' by Chris Bohjalian - Book Review
Chris Bohjalian's latest novel opens with the tragic story of a murder-suicide; an abusive husband murdered his wife and then killed himself in a small town in Vermont. Secrets of Eden follows the aftermath of this tragic event through the eyes of four people close to the incident: the pastor who knew of the domestic violence, a local prosecutor who begins to suspect the husband did not kill himself, a spiritual writer who feels drawn to the tragedy, and the couples' only daughter.
Secrets of Eden is the perfect book for a cozy winter night. Bohjalian's placid prose can be deceptive; this book is positively a page-turner.
