Secrets of Eden

Chris Bohjalian describes ordinary people in extraordinary ways. The characters in Secrets of Eden are like people we know as friends, or family, or neighbors. Familiar people - immersed in difficult, frightening, even horrific circumstances - will draw readers to this newest of Mr. Bohjalian's books, as they have to his previous novels. The story opens with the full immersion baptism of Alice Hayward by minister Stephen Drew in a beautiful Vermont pond on a midsummer day. Hours later Alice and her husband George are dead, with evidence of a murder-suicide by George's hands, carried out while daughter Katie is away. It seems to be the culmination of a history of spousal abuse. Other secrets begin to be revealed. The story is told in four parts: Through the words of Stephen Drew, who seems ill-suited for his vocation, we learn of his inner turmoil, his relationship with Alice, and his deceptive - perhaps self-deceptive - behavior. He cautions the reader to "Believe no one. Trust no one." Catherine Benincasa, the state's attorney, narrates the second part. A wife and mother, she is also tough-minded, analytical, and cynical, exhibiting the hallmarks of her job. Her frustration over the Hayward case, and the behavior of the minister, begins to consume her. Heather Laurent, the survivor of her own parents' murder-suicide, is the third narrator. She has battled depression, and become a self-professed, published authority on angels. She is drawn to the Haywards case, and to Stephen Drew. The final narrator is Katie Hayward. She is wise beyond her teenage years, but still a child, struggling to understand the dynamics of her parents' marriage. Until it doesn't matter anymore. Each narrator has a distinctly unique voice and, through their words, Mr. Bohjalian reveals the complexity of their personalities. His superior character development, combined with mounting elements of mystery and suspense, has resulted in a first-class novel. Chris Bohjalian is one of the premier American storytellers of our time.

I've been a Bohjalian fan since first reading The Double Bind (an absolutely great read if you haven't read it) and eventually devoured just about all of his previous and subsequent novels. They all have you guessing until the end. This one is another riveting winner! Since so many of the previous reviewers wrote of the characters and plot with which I concur I won't repeat them here. I found the main characters well-drawn and loved his technique of revealing them and the story from four different perspectives. As with previous novels by this author his subjects are well researched and I learn from them. The "angels" aspect was all new and fascinating to me and "domestic abuse" was done with such care and in good taste for such a horrifying issue. Although I did predict a good part of the ending it wasn't until the last few pages that all of it fell into place, the reason I stayed up very late to finish the book and well worth it! In addition to writing great books Chris is also very devoted to his fans. I volunteered to work on his boards and he consistently reached out to his readers and responded to their postings. Unfortunately, due to spammers taking over control and he fought them to the end, Chris had to close them down. He also makes many tours to meet his readers in person and to answer questions. Check his website at: [...] to see what I mean. I highly recommend this book to all and for a multi faceted discussion at your book clubs.

Chris Bohjalian, the same bestselling author who captivated the town of Nashua with his presentation in October on his book Skeletons at the Feast - the selection for the seventh annual Nashua Reads: One City, One Book program. - has done it again in his newest book Secrets of Eden. Never one to shy away from controversial issues, Secrets of Eden emerged in response to readers' responses to one of his previous works, The Double Bind. Women wanted to know how he had heard and so accurately portrayed their stories even though they had never met. They had identified with the violent attack on the novel's character Laurel Estabrook and it felt like what had happened to them when they had been attacked. The story takes place in Vermont and begins with the death of a woman, Alice Hayward, who had been brutally murdered by her abusive husband, George who then went on to commit suicide. This savage act left their only child, a teenaged daughter named Katie, an orphan. Katie tries desperately to put the pieces together of why the violence happened while trying to keep herself from falling apart at the reasons for how it happened. As it turns out, Alice, the murdered woman, held secrets and during the course of what initially looked like a fairly routine domestic abuse murder suicide, the state's attorney starts suspecting that perhaps Alice's husband may not have killed himself. The key to the mysteries lies in part with the local minister who holds a few secrets of his own. "It didn't seem to me from her diary that she was staying with George for the sake of their daughter. The girl by then was a fifteen-year-old with a stud in her nose. If anything, Alice had the common sense to see that getting smacked around and verbally abused by her man wasn't precisely the sort of role-model behavior a teenage girl ever should see. But she did understand this about her marriage: George was better to her when Katie was around - and she herself was safer." When asked how he handled extremely delicate and often taboo subjects like rape and domestic abuse Bohjalian responded that he did it carefully. "The reality is that I conduct massive amounts of research with people who know a lot more than I do and have experienced a lot more than I have. I listen carefully and respectfully. And then I retreat to my library and see where their stories and my imagination will lead me." A smart, well constructed story, Bohjalian expertly weaves the complexities of an explosive situation with the fragility of human response and understanding into a story that captivates, holds you until its final pages, and that forces you reflect on the repercussions of abuse on us all.

This is only the second review I've ever written and I hate reviews that give you a blow by blow of the entire book. When I read a review I only read the first paragraph and the last where the reviewer actually says whether or not she liked the book. That said, I've been reading Chris Bohjalian forever. I started with "Midwives", was hooked, and went back to his very first. I never stopped. They're all wonderful and "Secrets of Eden" is no exception. He has never written the same book twice. Let me just say it is about spousal abuse taken to the ultimate and is written in four sections narrated by each of the main characters. There. I couldn't put it down and finished it in record time. I eagerly await Mr. Bohjalian's next novel and hope he lives a long, healthful life so he can continue to keep his audience satisfied.

Is Vermont really the Eden perceived by its summer sojourners, autumnal leaf peepers and weekend ski house owners? I have been a long time Vermont resident and found it a fine place to raise a family but know the state is a microcosm of the human experience.We have our share of cynical clergy, abusive domestic partners and starry-eyed dreamers. Chris Bohjalian knows his characters well and places them very appropriately in a Vermont he also knows well. He has so skillfully introduced the four voices in Secrets of Eden that the transition is smooth and once again he has maintained his reputation as an accomplished story-teller. I was lucky enough to be able to read the book in one lovely, self indulgent day.