Secrets of Eden (2010)

Quick verdict: skip.

Four part novel, each part narrated by a different character about the apparent murder/suicide by an abusive husband to his wife, orphaning their 15 yr old daughter. I liked Part 1 narrated by the local pastor who had had an affair with the wife, and Part 4 by the daughter. Did not like Part 2 by the district attorney who decided [_______:] committed the murders and then when looking for evidence to prove it, or Part 3 by the Angel-obsessed writer whose mother and father died in a similar situation. She was equally single-minded and drove me crazy.

This book is heavy, and often I had to put it down so that I wouldn't be brought down by its darkness. Several times I had to skip parts that were too descriptive of abusive situations (primarily in part 3). I just don't need those visuals in my mind. Yes, they happen and that is tragic, but I don't want to subject myself unnecessarily to that kind of imagery.

( )

I read this novel in order to get a sense of Chris Bohjalian's style more than anything. I had heard great things about his newest novel, The Night Strangers, and I wanted to test the waters before I invested the moolah for a new hardcover. I was impressed.
I was immediately drawn in by the voice of Reverend Stephen Drew; perhaps because I grew up in the church, and saw a lot of characteristics of my own pastor in Drew. Maybe I saw more similarities than actually existed, but if so, I don't think anyone would fault me for empathy.
The other characters were slightly less interesting to me; I was a little disappointed that Drew's portion of the story came first. But I found myself entirely captured by the story. I felt anger at the seemingly knee-jerk assumptions made by the characters, and I silently gritted my teeth, knowing it was just a book, but still wishing I could speak to the characters, tell them to open their eyes.
The ending was foreseeable, not telegraphed, but not hidden. And apparently (according to the brief interview with the author, at the back of the book) not meant to be a "twist" ending.
I was excited to learn this novel was being turned into a movie; but disappointed to learn it's a Lifetime TV movie. I think there are depths to the story beyond the surface, and Lifetime seems to focus on the same issues so often, I fear the intricacies of the characters' developments will be lost in excessive waxing melodramatic over domestic abuse.
I don't mean to complain, not about the novel or the movie. It was a fantastic novel, and I'm glad I read it. I've already loaned out my copy to friends, so they can read it and we can discuss it. And when they give it back, I'll loan it out again.

Chris is a strange writer. For the most part I enjoy most of his books, but there are some that completely throw me for a loop. It did not take too long to figure this story out, who committed the crimes;however this is not a crime story. It is a story about a horrible crime and how it affects the people around the crime, some are involved like the District Attorney, the police officers, and those who are far away from that particular crime. This book maybe more like an Ibsen Book though it does not rise to that level. ( )

Looks at a murder suicide from the viewpoint of four different characters. Turns out it isn't a murder suicide as originally suspected... ( )

The subject of this book is domestic abuse/violence and the aftermath of a murder-suicide. As with all of his books, Bohjalian gives a complete picture of the difficult subject he is covering. The story begins with the perspective of the Stephen Drew the pastor of a small town in Vermont. He is devastated by the murder of a one of his flock, and the apparent suicide of her husband. You quickly realize that he is more than the wife's spiritual adviser. The book is also told from the point of view of a celebrity writer named Heather Laurent. She is drawn to the scene because of her memories of her own parents similar tragedy. She becomes involved with the pastor and the orphaned daughter Katie. She writes spiritual books about angels and she feels she can help them FIND their angels. Stephen is surprised when he becomes the focus of the investigation. The investigators find evidence that he had an affair with the wife. They set out to prove that he killed the husband out of rage or, worse, both of them. The story has a twist at the end that you see coming but it is still a page turner. ( )