Secrets of Eden

A Novel

By: Chris Bohjalian

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Susan Denaker, Rebecca Lowman, Kathe Mazur

Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling 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.

©2010 Chris Bohjalian; 2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Superb.... Fans of Bohjalian's 11 other novels (including Midwives) know to expect the unexpected and, thanks to his creativity and cunning, readers usually get walloped by one heck of a plot twist by book's end. In Secrets of Eden, the old saw that none of us knows what really goes on in a house when the shades are drawn rings chillingly true." (Carol Memmott, USA Today)

"Superbly written - vivid and horrifying without being melodramatic....a tribute to Bohjalian's storytelling skill." (The Boston Globe)

"Suspenseful...searing...Bohjalian has written a literary murder mystery that hooks readers early and keeps its secrets until the end.... Bohjalian's book is about the power of secrets and sacrifice and a warning against jumping to judgment. Those who doubt their faith, he writes, are sometimes the strongest among us." (Amy Driscoll, The Miami Herald)

Kept my attention

Chris Bohjalian's story unfolds in a way that keeps you listening and wondering what will happen next. Each character is multifaceted and no major character is simply a device to move the story forward. The people in the story are not "good" or "bad". They are people dealing with stress and trauma and sometimes don't make good decisions.

The audio recording uses different narrators for different parts which is very effective in keeping the listener engaged.

The story has a twist at the end, which happens in all the Bohjalian novels I've read. The story line, the characters, the language, and the readers will keep you hanging on every word until the last one. And then you'll wish it wasn't over.

Loved this book!

Such an awesome book. I would recommend it to everyone. I couldn't put it down.

Kept my interest

Any additional comments?

I've been re-listening to my purchases from 6 years ago, and this one flew by (on fast playback) as I did projects around the house. I enjoyed having the different characters each take a section of the book. A few brief stories the State's Attorney told about her young children were amusing, but the majority of the book was dealing with abuse, alcoholism, murder-suicide, loss of faith...so be ready for that.

Not a bad story except for the mispronunciations!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not to someone from Vermont because the narrator mispronounces both Albany and Barre VT and it is so jarring to someone who knows the true pronunciation. It takes you out of the story because the narrators are suppose to live in this area and to garble the names of the towns destroys any credibility.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was what I expected and true to form for the book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of the narrators?

Anyone who came from new England and knows that Barre, VT is pronounced "Barry", not "Bar" and Albany, NY is pronounced "Awlbany" not "Al - bany". Its nice when the narrators have a flavor for the local language and it is clear that this narrator did not.

Could you see Secrets of Eden being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Nope

Any additional comments?

Pretty predictable with characters that are hard to like or know.

Good story, but implausible ending

What did you like best about Secrets of Eden? What did you like least?

It was quite effective to have (4) narrators relating the story from varying perspectives. Several timely topics were incorporated into the story (spousal abuse, faith/loss of faith ). Well written. But the ending was out of sync with the prior narrative. I felt cheated.

An incredible read!

I chose a 5 star rating because the book captured my interest from beginning to end. It had me at the edge of the seat a lot of the time and there were times that made me sad and want to cry. I think the storytellers of this book did an incredible and amazing job on each of the characters. I
Was taken surprise at the ending but was very satisfied. I enjoyed the book so much that I am now eager to listen to more.

Great Book

Chris B is a great writer. His books capture my interest right away. In this story, my feelings about the characters changed depending on the point of the current character's section. What I also like about Chris's books is that every one of his novels is so different. No formula.

Not as good as I had hoped.

Based on having read 2 of Bohjalian's other books (Midwives and Double Bind), I was excited to read this one. I found the the structure of the earlier books to be tight and compelling and both contained unexpected twists. This one had a fairly interesting plot, but I found it predictable. I saw fairly early on who the murderer had to be, so the ending was anti-climactic. And what was Heather there for? This author can do better.

Good beginning Good end. Stupid Middle..

This book is told from four different view points. The first character and the last character would make for a compelling novella. The middle two characters are unlikeable and strident. It's almost as if a different and inferior author took on the two middle characters. I confess I don't even get the subplot obsession with angels. Skip it.

Not worth it

I've read or listened to other books by Chris Bohjalian and have enjoyed them. I didn't like any of the characters in this book and found its structure contrived and its narration annoying. I stopped listening about half way through. (I admit I grabbed a copy from the shelf at the Big National Book Store in my neighborhood and read the ending just to confirm it was going where I suspected. It was.) I don't recommend this book. Save your money and your credits and your ears.