Eden Close

EDEN CLOSE by Anita ShreveEDEN CLOSE by Anita Shreve centers on a murder that takes place almost 20 years ago in a small rural town in upstate New York. Andrew, now working in sales and advertising in New York city, returns home for his mother's funeral and brings back with him memories of his childhood friend Eden and that murder which took place next door at the Close family's residence. Eden Close was a childhood friend of Andrew, he being seventeen at the time of the murder, and Eden only fourteen. He recalls the blossoming of their friendship, the recklessness that was part of Eden's personality, and the murder of her father that was still a mystery to Andrew all these years later. He remembers bits and pieces of what may have happened, but on that fateful night, all he remembers is hearing a gunshot, screams, and nothing more. Upon his return home for the funeral, Andrew stays to deal with the family property and get it ready for sale. He is the only surviving member, his father having passed away five years earlier from a heart attack, and he is an only child. As he goes through the many old items in the house, he recalls his childhood and the murder and accident that caused Eden to lose her sight. While Eden was such a big part of Andrew's life when they were growing up, he has had nothing to do with her since the murder. He finds out that she's been shut inside her home with Edith Close for all these years, except for a few years where she spent time in a special facility. He becomes obsessed with his need to get in contact with Eden, and to find out what has happened to her, despite Edith's determination to keep Andrew away from Eden.Andrew does succeed in getting in contact with Eden again. And slowly, she feeds him the story about what really happened twenty years ago, as they slowly rekindle their friendship and lost love, behind Edith's back. What Andrew finds out is a shocker, and the book culminates in a scene straight out of the movies.I really enjoyed EDEN CLOSE. I started the book having no idea what it was about, but I was not disappointed. A page-turner from the very first page, it took me only two days to read the entire book. While parts of the plot I did find predictable, it was the journey of the story that kept me going, not the ending. EDEN CLOSE comes highly recommended.

I started this book one night. Read for 30 minutes. Woke up the next morning and didn't stop reading until the very last page!! Eden Close is a compelling story of Andrew and his beautiful next door neighbor Eden. Andrew, after many years away, returns to his hometown to plan his mothers funeral. Planning to stay only a few days, he is never the less drawn into the memories of a tragedy that occured one hot Summer night seventeen years ago. A gunshot. Piercing screams. A tormented girl.This story is mesmerizing, compelling, haunting and a story you won't soon forget.I loved this book!!

The first book I read by Anita Shreve was Where or When. The year was 1993 and I came across this book while browsing at the library. I remember thinking when I closed this book that this title was the book, which deserved all the praise or at least sales that Bridges of Madison County was receiving at the time. I thought the book Where or When better written in comparison to Bridges and that Eden Close had a more intriguing plot as well as a chilling outcome. After reading Where or When I went back and read Shreve's earlier books, Eden Close, Strange Fits of Passion and then Resistance. I remember thinking that Anita Shreve was one of the most overlooked new writers of that time. Then a woman named Oprah selected Shreve's book The Pilot's Wife for her television book group and overnight, one of my favorite authors became a household name. And her succeeding books, Fortune's Rock, The Weight of Water, The Last Time We Met and her latest title Sea Glass continue to illustrate why Shreve's books are such rich reading experiences.Now that I have read all of this author's books at least once I gave some thought to rereading some of her books. But it wasn't until one of my online book groups selected Close, Shreve's first novel, that I actually picked up this book and began reading it for the second time. I did wonder what I would think about a book I read close to ten years ago and one that I remembered enjoying so much that I always recommended it to others looking for a good book. I am happy to say that my second reading of the book Eden Close if anything has improved with age. The plot of this book, the characters and descriptive passages glued me to my seat once again. I found the subject matter continues to be as relevant today as it was when it was first published and the lives of the characters still as heartbreaking. And as Shreve does with all of her books, this time she puts you smack into this midwestern town where within two farm homes side by side we watch innocent lives torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy.If you have enjoyed Anita Shreve with her more recent books, be sure and go back and read her earliest novels like Eden Close, Strange Fits of Passion and Where or When and see why I considered Anita Shreve a favorite author before she was as popular as she is today.

Eden Close is one of Anita Shreve's best. The story has a slow, meandering quality with an undercurrent of mystery. As is often true with Ms. Shreve's books, the reader suspects that things may go a bit awry, or take an unsuspected turn, as one approaches the end of the story--and Eden Close is no exception. As a result, I find that I often put her books down for a bit when I get to the last ten or so pages, at least for a couple of hours if not for a day, both because I don't want to finish the book (which has been a good read) and because I like to ponder just what will happen before finding out exactly what does. If you haven't read anything by Shreve, this is a great one to start with; if you have, you'll truly enjoy this one!

Like all of Anita Shreve's works that I have read thus far Eden Close has kept me on the edge of my seat. It was a thoroughly entertaining and engrossing novel, Eden Close was a story that really pulled me in.While I guessed what the "Secret" was early on, it did not matter at all to the enjoyment of the novel. Full of twists and turns, what really makes this novel incredible, as well as all of Anita's other works, is her character development and her unique style of writing. She really makes you feel as though you know these people and you begin to care what happens to them.If you pick this one up - you won't want to put it down. Also try Pilot's Wife and The Weight of Water.