eden by Jim Crace

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The 'Eden' of the title is a place where immortal humans labour under the supervision of angels, who are beautiful and intimidating, but who have few powers other than the ability to fly and discipline the workers by pecking them with their powerful beaks. The society of Eden is one of moderate comfort and little danger, but that requires obedience to a series of strict rules, such as to avoid the area near its walls. The society is apparently ruled over by a lord that the head angel reports back to, but the lord never appears in the novel, raising the possibility that they do not exist.

Outside the garden are other human settlements, whose inhabitants lead difficult but freer lives, and who are mortal. The central plot of Eden occurs when one of its human inhabitants, Tabi, disappears, with the assumption that she has escaped into the outside world.

Eden is riven by political intrigue. One of its human inhabitants, Alum, works as a snitch to the angels, constantly informing on them and inferring wrong doing from scanty evidence. It is unclear how the hierarchy between the angels has come about, but it is very evident, with the lowest of them in low prestige positions, such as overseeing bodies of water. The significance of tiny actions in a closed society is very well depicted, with people turning up late or even glancing in the wrong direction having great significance when viewed by Alum.

Despite the Christian language used in the novel, the plot could be interpreted in a number of ways. Most straightforwardly, Eden could be considered a demonstration that eternal life would be undesirable even if it was possible. Alternatively, the book could be considered a satire of an institution such as the Catholic church, with the angels being the clergy, the leaders of which pretend to serve a god that does not exist. Many elements of the novel could be considered a critique of authoritarianism guised in religious terms, a celestial 1984.

In any case, although the characters are often somewhat generic, as necessitated by them living in a place where expression is severely limited, the novel is well observed and beautifully written, with several features, such as the angel's blue wings, being vivid and evocative. I read it quickly and thought that the pacing was good, despite most of the substantive events occurring near the end of novel. This is another fine, original work by the author.



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