Evelene

by Alice Thiel, Willow Walther (Illustrator)

185 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2025

Reviews

[Michelle Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her debut novel Evelene, Alice Thiel ambitiously tackles several difficult themes—depression, divorce, abuse and neglect, and bullying, along with the mixed bag of young love. These would prove a daunting task for any writer, but Thiel approaches each pain with a tender and open heart. In her prose, they turn effortlessly readable and almost light, thanks to the swift and spare free-verse structure she adopts and makes sing. Despite the countless challenges of Thiel’s narrator Evelene, we ultimately arrive with Eve at the hard-earned gifts of hope and renewal. Alice’s rare writerly gifts balance an unflinching vision of life’s greatest challenges with a technical prowess that only promises to grow, and Evelene leaves me eagerly anticipating the next offering from this fresh young voice.

[Ja Th · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I’ve ever read!

[Elise Seyferth · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was amazinggggg