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Eden
Every other weekend, Hope and Eden—backpacks, Walkmans, and homework in hand—wait for their father to pick them up, as he always does, at a strip-mall bus stop. It’s the divorce shuffle; they’re used to it. Only this weekend, he’s screwed up, forgotten, and their world will irrevocably change when a stranger lures them into his truck with a false story and smile.
More than twenty years later, Hope is that classic New York failure: a playwright with only one play produced long ago, newly evicted from an illegal sublet, working a humiliating temp job. Eden has long distanced herself from her family, and no one seems to know where she is. When the man who abducted them is up for parole, the girls might be able to offer testimony to keep him jailed. Hope sets out to find her sister—and to find herself—and it becomes the journey of a lifetime, taking her from hippie communes to cities across the country. Suspenseful and moving, Eden asks: How much do our pasts define us, and what price do we pay if we break free?
More than twenty years later, Hope is that classic New York failure: a playwright with only one play produced long ago, newly evicted from an illegal sublet, working a humiliating temp job. Eden has long distanced herself from her family, and no one seems to know where she is. When the man who abducted them is up for parole, the girls might be able to offer testimony to keep him jailed. Hope sets out to find her sister—and to find herself—and it becomes the journey of a lifetime, taking her from hippie communes to cities across the country. Suspenseful and moving, Eden asks: How much do our pasts define us, and what price do we pay if we break free?
264 pages, Hardcover
First published July 10, 2018
28 people are currently reading
1378 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Kleine
3 books61 followersAndrea Kleine is the author of the novel CALF, which was named one of the best books of 2015 by Publishers Weekly; and EDEN, named a best book of 2018 by Nylon and a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley/Publishing Triangle Award. She is a five-time MacDowell Colony Fellow and the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. A performance artist, essayist, and novelist, she lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 15, 2018
What a fantastic hidden gem! Thanks for the rec, Sarah. Eden is a clear-eyed, engaging meditation on how the aftermath of trauma shapes the lives of two sisters who were kidnapped and held hostage for two days as teenagers. The story picks up twenty years after the event, and follows one of the sisters, Hope, as she navigates life in New York as a failing playwright, before she decides to finally get in touch with her sister Eden after years of estrangement.
Andrea Kleine's writing is sharp and compelling; I never wanted to put this down when I was reading it. The plot is steady and engaging as it follows Hope's road trip where she confronts a series of figures from her past in an effort to track down her sister, but where this book really shines is in its nuanced exploration of trauma, and the ways in which we allow our past to shape our present. It all sounds a bit trite, but I thought this book was anything but. It's frank and candid, but the characters themselves are each layered and their relationship between the two sisters is both intriguing and painfully realistic.
The only thing I didn't love about this book was some of the dialogue. It wasn't uncommon for a paragraph of dialogue to span several pages, since a lot of these characters seemed to speak only in monologues. It stretched my suspension of disbelief just a bit that so many unrelated characters would speak in such a similar manner. Obviously it was a stylistic decision from Kleine - having each of these characters confront Hope so directly once she's finally ready to dig into her past and the role each of them played - but the conversations themselves could have been executed more naturally, I felt.
But I did love this, for its candid tone and surprisingly thorough exploration of difficult themes, and its delightfully ambiguous ending which I found both satisfying and thought-provoking.
Thank you to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin, and Andrea Kleine for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
Andrea Kleine's writing is sharp and compelling; I never wanted to put this down when I was reading it. The plot is steady and engaging as it follows Hope's road trip where she confronts a series of figures from her past in an effort to track down her sister, but where this book really shines is in its nuanced exploration of trauma, and the ways in which we allow our past to shape our present. It all sounds a bit trite, but I thought this book was anything but. It's frank and candid, but the characters themselves are each layered and their relationship between the two sisters is both intriguing and painfully realistic.
The only thing I didn't love about this book was some of the dialogue. It wasn't uncommon for a paragraph of dialogue to span several pages, since a lot of these characters seemed to speak only in monologues. It stretched my suspension of disbelief just a bit that so many unrelated characters would speak in such a similar manner. Obviously it was a stylistic decision from Kleine - having each of these characters confront Hope so directly once she's finally ready to dig into her past and the role each of them played - but the conversations themselves could have been executed more naturally, I felt.
But I did love this, for its candid tone and surprisingly thorough exploration of difficult themes, and its delightfully ambiguous ending which I found both satisfying and thought-provoking.
Thank you to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin, and Andrea Kleine for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2018
This novel is about Hope, a struggling playwright, and her journey to find her estranged sister, Eden. What she ends up finding is closure and acceptance. Hope and Eden were kidnapped as teenagers and, fortunately, were able to escape with their lives. It was shortly after the kidnapping that Eden became estranged from her family.
There seemed to be a significant disconnect between the story being told and the actual plot. This made for a very choppy reading experience. The characters in this novel were unoriginal, cliché and entirely forgettable.
This one just didn’t work for me.
There seemed to be a significant disconnect between the story being told and the actual plot. This made for a very choppy reading experience. The characters in this novel were unoriginal, cliché and entirely forgettable.
This one just didn’t work for me.
June 26, 2018
My profession as a psychiatric RN has led me to work that I value as necessary and significant—working with children and teens that have suffered childhood trauma. Andrea Kleine’s new novel focuses squarely on the adults that they become, and their family members, and how others perceive them. Does childhood trauma underscore your life as an adult, does it ruin you, does it DEFINE you? These themes are explored with purpose, and within an intense and absorbing storyline, never reducing or simplifying the ramifications of the trauma itself (which we know as PTSD).
A stranger abducted Hope and her half-sister Eden when they were teens. The experience they shared is gradually unraveled poignantly over course of the book. For decades, 35-year-old Hope, a mostly failed playwright, has not seen or heard from her sister. Over the years, Eden and her family, including Eden’s hippie-commune mother, has lost contact with Eden. But, after becoming dislocated and jobless, and provoked by a call from the DA that the perpetrator could be released soon unless he can be tied to another crime, Hope embarks on a vision quest to find her half-sister.
The road trip begins in Hope’s father’s old and temperamental camper, and leads her on a journey to people from her past, and to unwitting strangers, all who play a part to help crack open both repressed and obscured insights buried within her. Tying her experiences and the disparate and sometimes desultory clues together is as complicated as Hope is complex. Her ex-girlfriend thinks that Hope fetishizes this event as a way to prevent moving forward, and her father suggests that Hope is wasting her time, and should just finally grow up. But he is paralyzed with guilt and blame.
Often, Hope perceives that everyone has moved on except herself, but also notices how trivial or guarded they are. There are few people she can trust, like her suicidal, drug addicted, and successful and celebrated artist friend, Zara. She told her, “...you decided your life was about writing plays and trying to get at the truth of something…And now that’s who you are. You’re sort of like a junkie. You use what’s in front of you to pay for you fix.” When Hope asks her what she’s addicted to, Zara responds, “To continuing.”
Hope continues the journey, her labile thoughts contained but directing her. If you are looking for easy answers or a bow to tie this up, you’ll be disappointed. On the other hand, Kleine’s window into making sense of your past, written in frank but forgiving prose, explores how art intersects with life and conveys sharp insights about trauma, attachment, and memory.
A stranger abducted Hope and her half-sister Eden when they were teens. The experience they shared is gradually unraveled poignantly over course of the book. For decades, 35-year-old Hope, a mostly failed playwright, has not seen or heard from her sister. Over the years, Eden and her family, including Eden’s hippie-commune mother, has lost contact with Eden. But, after becoming dislocated and jobless, and provoked by a call from the DA that the perpetrator could be released soon unless he can be tied to another crime, Hope embarks on a vision quest to find her half-sister.
The road trip begins in Hope’s father’s old and temperamental camper, and leads her on a journey to people from her past, and to unwitting strangers, all who play a part to help crack open both repressed and obscured insights buried within her. Tying her experiences and the disparate and sometimes desultory clues together is as complicated as Hope is complex. Her ex-girlfriend thinks that Hope fetishizes this event as a way to prevent moving forward, and her father suggests that Hope is wasting her time, and should just finally grow up. But he is paralyzed with guilt and blame.
Often, Hope perceives that everyone has moved on except herself, but also notices how trivial or guarded they are. There are few people she can trust, like her suicidal, drug addicted, and successful and celebrated artist friend, Zara. She told her, “...you decided your life was about writing plays and trying to get at the truth of something…And now that’s who you are. You’re sort of like a junkie. You use what’s in front of you to pay for you fix.” When Hope asks her what she’s addicted to, Zara responds, “To continuing.”
Hope continues the journey, her labile thoughts contained but directing her. If you are looking for easy answers or a bow to tie this up, you’ll be disappointed. On the other hand, Kleine’s window into making sense of your past, written in frank but forgiving prose, explores how art intersects with life and conveys sharp insights about trauma, attachment, and memory.
August 11, 2018
2.5 stars
Enjoyed the beginning, found it fast-paced and engaging. However, the middle part dragged a little bit and the ending was underwhelming.
Enjoyed the beginning, found it fast-paced and engaging. However, the middle part dragged a little bit and the ending was underwhelming.
February 19, 2019
This is a wondrous/sharp/cry-making novel with an urgent plot that made me race through it in a couple days. I loved the unadorned, frank style of it too, and its humor. I will be thinking about this story of being a sister, a queer woman & an artist for a long time <3
November 10, 2018
This was a really sharp novel about the aftermath of trauma told in a compelling first-person voice.
When they were teenagers, Hope and her sister Eden were kidnapped by a man who held them captive for days. They escaped, and their lives went in different directions, but now years later their kidnapper is up for parole, and Hope sets out to find Eden.
Hope is at a standstill in many ways. She has never fully recovered emotionally, and her adult life has been a series of failed relationships, failed jobs, failure to ever really move on from the past.
This is a story about how trauma can shape a person’s life, and what it means to possibly move forward from it. Hope is a complex, flawed character—but above all she is a survivor. That can mean something different for everyone, even among two sisters who shared a similar experience.
Eden is a nuanced novel with no easy answers or tidy resolutions. Anything else would be a disservice to its characters.
When they were teenagers, Hope and her sister Eden were kidnapped by a man who held them captive for days. They escaped, and their lives went in different directions, but now years later their kidnapper is up for parole, and Hope sets out to find Eden.
Hope is at a standstill in many ways. She has never fully recovered emotionally, and her adult life has been a series of failed relationships, failed jobs, failure to ever really move on from the past.
This is a story about how trauma can shape a person’s life, and what it means to possibly move forward from it. Hope is a complex, flawed character—but above all she is a survivor. That can mean something different for everyone, even among two sisters who shared a similar experience.
Eden is a nuanced novel with no easy answers or tidy resolutions. Anything else would be a disservice to its characters.
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June 12, 2018The story line is compelling: Hope and Eden—her older sister from a different mother—are teenage girls waiting for their father to pick them up as a result of the so-called divorce shuffle. Instead, they fall prey to a stranger named Larry who claims to be a friend of their fathers. What happened during those harrowing two days of captivity?
Fast forward two decades. Hope is falling through the rabbit hole. Her long-time girlfriend has moved out and moved on, her playwriting career is stalled, and she hasn’t heard from Eden in years. And now their kidnapper is up for parole.
The book focuses on the loneliness of and how much our past ends up defining us—not just the victims but also their respective parents and the people in their lives. There is no real salvation and no ability to untether oneself from the past. (At one point, Hope hears this: “If you’re free, why do you want to tie yourself up again?”)
When Andrea Kleine—who wrote the absorbing novel Calf—drills down to the emotions of the characters, the novel soars. Particularly fascinating is Hope’s ruminations on whether she’d be the same person if nothing like that had ever happened to her. Her need for Eden is literal and metaphorical. Only with Eden is she remotely capable of choosing what she wants to be—anyone. Or no one at all.
The novel’s insights, particularly in the second half of the book, are striking. But in the first half, when I should have been immersed, I felt distanced. I wanted the novel to focus more on the main players—Hope and Eden, their narcissistic father and too-remote mothers. The ancillary characters were just not as intriguing to me and often halted the forward propulsion. I wanted to love this book and ended up liking it. Others may feel differently.
Fast forward two decades. Hope is falling through the rabbit hole. Her long-time girlfriend has moved out and moved on, her playwriting career is stalled, and she hasn’t heard from Eden in years. And now their kidnapper is up for parole.
The book focuses on the loneliness of and how much our past ends up defining us—not just the victims but also their respective parents and the people in their lives. There is no real salvation and no ability to untether oneself from the past. (At one point, Hope hears this: “If you’re free, why do you want to tie yourself up again?”)
When Andrea Kleine—who wrote the absorbing novel Calf—drills down to the emotions of the characters, the novel soars. Particularly fascinating is Hope’s ruminations on whether she’d be the same person if nothing like that had ever happened to her. Her need for Eden is literal and metaphorical. Only with Eden is she remotely capable of choosing what she wants to be—anyone. Or no one at all.
The novel’s insights, particularly in the second half of the book, are striking. But in the first half, when I should have been immersed, I felt distanced. I wanted the novel to focus more on the main players—Hope and Eden, their narcissistic father and too-remote mothers. The ancillary characters were just not as intriguing to me and often halted the forward propulsion. I wanted to love this book and ended up liking it. Others may feel differently.
June 10, 2018
Andrea Kleine's latest novel, "Eden", could really be titled, "Finding Eden". This wonderfully rendered novel is about two sisters, narrated by struggling playwright, Hope, in search of her sister, Eden, who has virtually disappeared.
When Hope was 14 and Eden was 16, they were kidnapped from a bus station while waiting for their father to fetch them. The novel skillfully reveals details of the kidnapping in a perfectly-paced narrative, while also following Hope's search for her sister, made urgent by the fact that their abductor is soon to come up for parole.
Through Hope's professional struggles, Kleine also explores using one's "real life" to make art. Hope's fellow-artist friend, Zara, urges her to use her kidnapping in her art: "We're self-commoditizing savages." she says. "The tragedy of life is raw material." I was moved to ponder this and wonder if using one's intimate and/or traumatic life experiences is cathartic or commercial...or both. Indeed, one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy, credited his highly dysfunctional family for his successful novels. (He famously said that he couldn't write his masterpiece, "The Prince of Tides", until after his mother's death.)
I read "Eden" in one too-hot-to-go-out, Saturday; there are 26 chapters in "Eden" and I think of it as a feast. Kleine graciously and elegantly sets the table for this 26-course meal and each course is a perfect ingredient building to a sumptuous and satisfying experience.
When Hope was 14 and Eden was 16, they were kidnapped from a bus station while waiting for their father to fetch them. The novel skillfully reveals details of the kidnapping in a perfectly-paced narrative, while also following Hope's search for her sister, made urgent by the fact that their abductor is soon to come up for parole.
Through Hope's professional struggles, Kleine also explores using one's "real life" to make art. Hope's fellow-artist friend, Zara, urges her to use her kidnapping in her art: "We're self-commoditizing savages." she says. "The tragedy of life is raw material." I was moved to ponder this and wonder if using one's intimate and/or traumatic life experiences is cathartic or commercial...or both. Indeed, one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy, credited his highly dysfunctional family for his successful novels. (He famously said that he couldn't write his masterpiece, "The Prince of Tides", until after his mother's death.)
I read "Eden" in one too-hot-to-go-out, Saturday; there are 26 chapters in "Eden" and I think of it as a feast. Kleine graciously and elegantly sets the table for this 26-course meal and each course is a perfect ingredient building to a sumptuous and satisfying experience.
July 25, 2018
You can also find this review on my blog.
cw: transphobia, kidnapping, underage drinking, drug use
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.
I requested this from NetGalley mostly on a whim and ended up being pleasantly surprised. What I liked most about it was probably that it followed the aftermath of the sisters’ kidnapping rather than focusing on the kidnapping itself. It was more of a study on how trauma impacts individuals as they age, as well as the role that relationships with others play in our lives.
“I own the ground, but not the water,” she said. “Isn’t that something?”
The main character is a queer woman (I believe she’s a lesbian, but never drops a definitive ID) and it’s nice that it’s just sort of a fact rather than a plot point. My one issue was the way she referred to another character: as “maybe trans” and later as another character’s “girlfriend/boyfriend.” It didn’t really feel like a respectful way to portray them and rubbed me the wrong way, although I’m a cis woman and can’t speak fully to the representation.
cw: transphobia, kidnapping, underage drinking, drug use
disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review consideration. All of the opinions presented below are my own.
I requested this from NetGalley mostly on a whim and ended up being pleasantly surprised. What I liked most about it was probably that it followed the aftermath of the sisters’ kidnapping rather than focusing on the kidnapping itself. It was more of a study on how trauma impacts individuals as they age, as well as the role that relationships with others play in our lives.
“I own the ground, but not the water,” she said. “Isn’t that something?”
The main character is a queer woman (I believe she’s a lesbian, but never drops a definitive ID) and it’s nice that it’s just sort of a fact rather than a plot point. My one issue was the way she referred to another character: as “maybe trans” and later as another character’s “girlfriend/boyfriend.” It didn’t really feel like a respectful way to portray them and rubbed me the wrong way, although I’m a cis woman and can’t speak fully to the representation.
July 17, 2018
My Thoughts: From the very start of Eden the reader learns that sisters Eden and Hope were kidnapped as teenagers. What we don’t know is what happened to them in the time they were held captive. We know that many years later Hope is a struggling playwright and Eden is estranged from her entire family. Despite the title of this book, the story is really Hope’s. Hope narrates, unveiling her story, past and present, as she embarks on a search to find her sister.
Like Abbott, Andrea Kleine dropped just enough hints to keep me wanting more. We learn the kidnapper, Larry, has been in prison for over twenty year, yet are left wondering exactly what he did. We know Hope managed to piece together a life, but know little about Eden. We know both girls were left forever damaged.
“I hated that kind of resolution. Everything is not all right in the end. In the end, your bruises become scars and they make you who you are. This kind of erasure of the past as therapy disturbed me. It angered me. My trauma was my trauma. Larry was mine. He was mine and Eden’s.”
When Kleine stuck to the story of Hope and Eden, I was completely engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, other parts were a little too rambling. There were an add assortment of side characters sprinkled throughout the book and though most were important to the storyline, their backstories weren’t. I’d have enjoyed Eden more had these been shorter or fewer and had Kleine given a little more attention to Eden and Hope. For me, Eden was just dark enough and wandered smoothly enough to keep me engaged, but in the end didn’t quite wow me. Grade: C+
Note: I received a copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/give-me-your-...
Like Abbott, Andrea Kleine dropped just enough hints to keep me wanting more. We learn the kidnapper, Larry, has been in prison for over twenty year, yet are left wondering exactly what he did. We know Hope managed to piece together a life, but know little about Eden. We know both girls were left forever damaged.
“I hated that kind of resolution. Everything is not all right in the end. In the end, your bruises become scars and they make you who you are. This kind of erasure of the past as therapy disturbed me. It angered me. My trauma was my trauma. Larry was mine. He was mine and Eden’s.”
When Kleine stuck to the story of Hope and Eden, I was completely engaged and wanting more. Unfortunately, other parts were a little too rambling. There were an add assortment of side characters sprinkled throughout the book and though most were important to the storyline, their backstories weren’t. I’d have enjoyed Eden more had these been shorter or fewer and had Kleine given a little more attention to Eden and Hope. For me, Eden was just dark enough and wandered smoothly enough to keep me engaged, but in the end didn’t quite wow me. Grade: C+
Note: I received a copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
Original Source: https://novelvisits.com/give-me-your-...
August 15, 2018
This was absolutely amazing and the best book I've read on netgalley so far.
This felt like it was a true story i was reading which only reflects just how well written it was.
Something tragic happens to devastate an entire family apart. Although namef eden the book is really more about the sister who this has affected the most.
Read it read read it five stars. Part thriller,, part contemporary, part drama.
This felt like it was a true story i was reading which only reflects just how well written it was.
Something tragic happens to devastate an entire family apart. Although namef eden the book is really more about the sister who this has affected the most.
Read it read read it five stars. Part thriller,, part contemporary, part drama.
August 14, 2018
The premise had such promise: sisters Hope and Eden (same father different mothers) with parents who are not terribly interested in parenting, so rather than drive the girls for visitations, put them on a bus. Dad isn’t all that dependable and one night, he doesn’t show up at the bus station to get them. The station closes and a man (Larry) pulls up in his truck claiming to be sent by their father to pick them up.They get in the truck and go missing for a week. More than 20 years later, Hope is notified that Larry is up for parole and the DA was wondering if she and her sister would like to speak to the parole board - especially since Larry killed a girl before taking them. Hope is unmoored, kicked out of her sub let apartment, floundering as an unproductive playwright and Eden hasn’t been heard from since high school. So Hope want - needs - to find her. Sounds great — but it’s simply not. Disaffected might be the best way to describe Hope but I couldn’t muster any genuine interest in any of the characters. The book is a slow slog - but I stuck with it because I thought I wanted to know what would happen when she found Eden. Little happens of interest on her way to find Eden and the flashbacks of what happened when the girls were young are told in a disjointed manner with little coherence. And then end is almost nothing. Like a song that simply fades away. Are we defined by our past? Can we escape it?This book won’t give you any answers or ideas.
June 15, 2018
Don Quixote-esque tale of a sister searching for. ...something, hard to say what. It pretends to be a search for the titular sister, Eden, but simply becomes a rambling, self-pitying road trip to fight windmills by Eden’s sister, Hope. The premise sounded interesting, but in the end left me simply annoyed.
December 17, 2018
When Hope is 14 years old, she and her half-sister, Eden, are abducted from a bus stop where they waited for their father to pick them up. Twenty years later Hope is living in New York as a playwright who had one semi-successful play and not much since. Eden has broken off any contact with their family and Hope has not spoken to her in years. Now, Larry, the man who had abducted them, is up for his parole hearing. Hope sets out to find Eden.
I am still on my -end-of-the-year-tbr-quest. I picked up Eden by Andrea Kleine, which already sat on my shelf since summer, and could not put it down. This is an intricate story of trauma and grief, narrating your own story, relationships of all kinds, and the limits of (some) relationships when coping with trauma. On her journey Hope crashes at her dad's, meets a girl she had made out with as a teenager, she stays at the Hippie-inspired commune where Eden's mother lives, she finds herself on the couch of her ex-girlfriend and her wife, and hitchhikes with a young queer couple. Hope is sometimes needy, not always nice, but most of all she is still a little bit lost and while she focusses on her quest to find Eden it becomes quite apparent that she has more things to re-evaluate in order to move on.
I loved the writing and the way the narrative wove together the narrative of Hope's search for Eden and flashbacks laying open layer after layer of what had happened while they had been abducted. This book does not reveal all, not everything gets resolved, the characters are not all likeable - and some readers might find that frustrating. I think it is very international and brilliant. I highly recommend the book.
I am still on my -end-of-the-year-tbr-quest. I picked up Eden by Andrea Kleine, which already sat on my shelf since summer, and could not put it down. This is an intricate story of trauma and grief, narrating your own story, relationships of all kinds, and the limits of (some) relationships when coping with trauma. On her journey Hope crashes at her dad's, meets a girl she had made out with as a teenager, she stays at the Hippie-inspired commune where Eden's mother lives, she finds herself on the couch of her ex-girlfriend and her wife, and hitchhikes with a young queer couple. Hope is sometimes needy, not always nice, but most of all she is still a little bit lost and while she focusses on her quest to find Eden it becomes quite apparent that she has more things to re-evaluate in order to move on.
I loved the writing and the way the narrative wove together the narrative of Hope's search for Eden and flashbacks laying open layer after layer of what had happened while they had been abducted. This book does not reveal all, not everything gets resolved, the characters are not all likeable - and some readers might find that frustrating. I think it is very international and brilliant. I highly recommend the book.
June 9, 2018
This was a tough one to read as it deals with the fallout of a trauma-based horrific crime committed on two sisters, Eden and Hope. Told from Hope's perspective, it vacillates between past and present as Hope is called on to testify as the accused may be paroled even as he is suspected of murder. Sister Eden has long since disappeared and has no desire to be found, their mother has just died from cancer, and their father deals with his own demons as his past plagues him. So although it's not a "feel-good" novel, it deals with heartfelt themes such as guilt, bitterness, redemption, and forgiveness. Does our past always determine our present? Can people "let go" in different ways or are we bound by our family ties forever? This novel will have you pondering these questions and more as it tugs at your heartstrings.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
August 6, 2018
oh gosh, I dunno
it kept me engaged enough to continue turning the pages
and yet, and yet...
a friend described this as "meandering" and I think that is the one-word review you should take into consideration when deciding whether to read.
it kept me engaged enough to continue turning the pages
and yet, and yet...
a friend described this as "meandering" and I think that is the one-word review you should take into consideration when deciding whether to read.
May 1, 2018
This was a quiet book that in many ways leads you on the same journey as the main character Hope-- wandering from quiet, quirky encounter to encounter as she attempts to put together the puzzle pieces and understand both herself and her sister Eden, whom she hopes to locate and reconnect with.
I think the main focus of this book is on trauma and identity. How did a traumatic incident from the past shape these two women and how has it affected their ability (or really more inability) to forge meaningful connections and relationships with others?
Throughout the book, Eden remains enigmatic. If you're looking for answers about what exactly happened to her, who she is now, and why she's chosen to abandon her relationships with her family, (er...spoiler alert?) you won't really find them in this book. Ultimately it's Hope's story, and it's an interesting one at that. But I suspect people in search of gripping action, dramatic face-offs, and tidy endings will find it disappointing. That's a shame, because it's quite a compelling book in its quiet way.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I think the main focus of this book is on trauma and identity. How did a traumatic incident from the past shape these two women and how has it affected their ability (or really more inability) to forge meaningful connections and relationships with others?
Throughout the book, Eden remains enigmatic. If you're looking for answers about what exactly happened to her, who she is now, and why she's chosen to abandon her relationships with her family, (er...spoiler alert?) you won't really find them in this book. Ultimately it's Hope's story, and it's an interesting one at that. But I suspect people in search of gripping action, dramatic face-offs, and tidy endings will find it disappointing. That's a shame, because it's quite a compelling book in its quiet way.
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 27, 2018
Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.
Haunting book about grown up sisters who survived a bizarre kidnapping and each dealt with getting over the trauma in a different way. Eden the commune girl and Hope the struggling artist.
Haunting book about grown up sisters who survived a bizarre kidnapping and each dealt with getting over the trauma in a different way. Eden the commune girl and Hope the struggling artist.
June 19, 2018
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Hope is the protagonist of this new novel by award-winning writer, Andrea Kleine. Eden is the driving force behind the questions, the loneliness, and the unachievable success in Hope's life. Hope is a playwright with proper university credentials, starting out strong with a play production in London. Since then, she hasn't been able to move anything else into the art world.
Hope comes from Virginia, outside of Charlottesville, where she grew up with her half-sister, Eden. Their father divorced Hope's mother, and he and Eden's mother were never married. Dad is a writer and a professor, living an alternative life in the countryside southwest of Charlottesville. When the girls were growing up, they took the bus to their father's town every Friday after school where he picked them up. When Eden was sixteen and Hope was fourteen their dad didn't show up at the bus stop to get them. They wound up with someone named Larry who said he was a friend of their dad and he sent him to get them. Larry said the dad was having trouble with his camper van. This day was the beginning of the hell that both of them would live in for much of the rest of their lives.
It is never clear in the novel if either girl suffered a rape, but they were kept against their wills, tied up outside in only their underwear. Their escape isn't as important as what happened to them afterward. The dysfunctional family of one father, two mothers, and a stubborn Eden set all their lives on end. Eden went to a boarding school, and Hope never really saw her again.
The story moves twenty years forward to a turning point in the story and Hope's life. The D.A. wants to interview both of them as Larry, their abductor, is up for parole. Hope decides to try to find Eden to talk to her about what happened and see if she can help make a case against Larry.
The trip takes her from New York to California, searching for Eden, but in more significant ways, searching for what created a massive hole in her soul, one that no one and nothing seems able to repair. This was a difficult novel to process. Hope's lonely journey through life is painful to witness. Ms. Kleine's insightful portrait of real-life pain makes it an excellent story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read the e-ARC.
The publication date for Eden is July 10th 2018.
Hope is the protagonist of this new novel by award-winning writer, Andrea Kleine. Eden is the driving force behind the questions, the loneliness, and the unachievable success in Hope's life. Hope is a playwright with proper university credentials, starting out strong with a play production in London. Since then, she hasn't been able to move anything else into the art world.
Hope comes from Virginia, outside of Charlottesville, where she grew up with her half-sister, Eden. Their father divorced Hope's mother, and he and Eden's mother were never married. Dad is a writer and a professor, living an alternative life in the countryside southwest of Charlottesville. When the girls were growing up, they took the bus to their father's town every Friday after school where he picked them up. When Eden was sixteen and Hope was fourteen their dad didn't show up at the bus stop to get them. They wound up with someone named Larry who said he was a friend of their dad and he sent him to get them. Larry said the dad was having trouble with his camper van. This day was the beginning of the hell that both of them would live in for much of the rest of their lives.
It is never clear in the novel if either girl suffered a rape, but they were kept against their wills, tied up outside in only their underwear. Their escape isn't as important as what happened to them afterward. The dysfunctional family of one father, two mothers, and a stubborn Eden set all their lives on end. Eden went to a boarding school, and Hope never really saw her again.
The story moves twenty years forward to a turning point in the story and Hope's life. The D.A. wants to interview both of them as Larry, their abductor, is up for parole. Hope decides to try to find Eden to talk to her about what happened and see if she can help make a case against Larry.
The trip takes her from New York to California, searching for Eden, but in more significant ways, searching for what created a massive hole in her soul, one that no one and nothing seems able to repair. This was a difficult novel to process. Hope's lonely journey through life is painful to witness. Ms. Kleine's insightful portrait of real-life pain makes it an excellent story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read the e-ARC.
The publication date for Eden is July 10th 2018.
July 10, 2018
It wasn’t my intention to read Eden by Andrea Kleine in one night but it happened. The book was so good that it was impossible to put it down.
When the main character, Hope, and her sister, Eden, were teenagers when they were kidnapped. The story shows how they have dealt with or not dealt with such a traumatic event.
Eden is no longer in contact with her family. Hope is basically failing at life – failed career, relationships, rental agreements.
The man that kidnapped the sisters is up for parole. The DA wants the sisters to provide more information on the case. If Hope can find Eden, will they testify to keep the kidnapper in jail?
I was definitely intrigued by this book and would recommend it to just about everyone, except children.
*I was given an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are mine. Obviously.
When the main character, Hope, and her sister, Eden, were teenagers when they were kidnapped. The story shows how they have dealt with or not dealt with such a traumatic event.
Eden is no longer in contact with her family. Hope is basically failing at life – failed career, relationships, rental agreements.
The man that kidnapped the sisters is up for parole. The DA wants the sisters to provide more information on the case. If Hope can find Eden, will they testify to keep the kidnapper in jail?
I was definitely intrigued by this book and would recommend it to just about everyone, except children.
*I was given an ebook from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are mine. Obviously.
February 8, 2018
Thank you Edelweiss for my review copy of this book. Eden and Hope are sisters. Every other weekend they go with their father except for the weekend he forgets to pick them up. A stranger tricks them into believing that their father sent him to pick them up and the sisters suffer an unimaginable time while at his mercy.
Years later Eden has hidden herself from her family and Hope is failing at life in general. Upon learning that the man who kidnapped them is up for parole Hope sets out on a journey to find Eden as well as herself.
You really feel Hope’s pain and struggle throughout this story. That was really the only thing that kept me reading it until the end. This was just an ok read for me otherwise.
Years later Eden has hidden herself from her family and Hope is failing at life in general. Upon learning that the man who kidnapped them is up for parole Hope sets out on a journey to find Eden as well as herself.
You really feel Hope’s pain and struggle throughout this story. That was really the only thing that kept me reading it until the end. This was just an ok read for me otherwise.
March 8, 2018
Read in prepub. A story about the way trauma affects a family and how two people who suffer the same trauma can manage that trauma in very different ways.
As Hope and Eden's story unfolded, I found myself wondering if even without the trauma they both suffered if Eden wouldn't have ended up exactly the same way. The issues that kept her from her family were not trauma-driven alone. But this is Hope's story, not Eden's, and you hope as you read that finding Eden will bring her some peace, regardless of whether Eden is willing to be a participant in Hope's life or not. It's a somber book, with no real answers supplied, but it forces you to consider your own strength, your own family dynamics and how they might weather the unthinkable.
As Hope and Eden's story unfolded, I found myself wondering if even without the trauma they both suffered if Eden wouldn't have ended up exactly the same way. The issues that kept her from her family were not trauma-driven alone. But this is Hope's story, not Eden's, and you hope as you read that finding Eden will bring her some peace, regardless of whether Eden is willing to be a participant in Hope's life or not. It's a somber book, with no real answers supplied, but it forces you to consider your own strength, your own family dynamics and how they might weather the unthinkable.
November 25, 2019
The type of Thrillers I tend to enjoy are either so messed up they are basically Horror or they are almost a literary fiction novel just with darker subject matter, that slight edgier side to it. "Eden" is the latter of those 2 types, while it deals with a kidnapping incident it mostly deals with its aftermath and how the victim shaped up 15 years later. There is dual timeline going on, so the reader will gradually be filled in on the kidnapping details but the gruesome stuff is more there to paint the background, this book is more concerned with the here and now.
And the here and now is filled with many not so kidnap related details, the failing playwright career of our main girl Hope, her friends and relationships, her family ties; but it all will always be impacted by what happened to her as a teenager, consciously or non-consciously, just that the plot will not always focus on this side of things. Which is something that I quite enjoyed about this novel: besides trauma it has also quirk which sounds like it shouldn't exist in the same book yet here it does very well. Kleine's writing is part of why this was so enjoyable to me, it is depressing but also relatable and that touch of odd details (a lot coming from Hope's lifestyle and her art friends), it lingers on how the terrifying event shaped Hope but it also leaves room for the person that she can outside of that and I liked that the novel left some space to explore several relationships she has with the people in her life and random chance encounters that happen during the run of the plot. That plot is driven by Hope's search for her sister Eden who is the most elusive character (purposefully). I am a bit torn how I feel about the "Eden-element" of the novel, since I felt not fully satisfied with how things ended between them but at the same time that is part of the point of that ending and of Eden, she is supposed to be frustrating and fail to be a possible anchor yet she is the driving force for Hope. I wanted to have more insight into her, just like Hope I wanted more from her. I understand why Kleine doesn't give us more, it would be a very different novel if she did but that didn't help the underwhelmed feeling I had the closer I got to the end.
On a positive note, I thought the switching between past and present and with the slow unveiling of events helped create some suspense but it also worked well in fleshing out the character of Hope. The more we learn the more she makes sense and novel's structure helps that process.
3.5*
And the here and now is filled with many not so kidnap related details, the failing playwright career of our main girl Hope, her friends and relationships, her family ties; but it all will always be impacted by what happened to her as a teenager, consciously or non-consciously, just that the plot will not always focus on this side of things. Which is something that I quite enjoyed about this novel: besides trauma it has also quirk which sounds like it shouldn't exist in the same book yet here it does very well. Kleine's writing is part of why this was so enjoyable to me, it is depressing but also relatable and that touch of odd details (a lot coming from Hope's lifestyle and her art friends), it lingers on how the terrifying event shaped Hope but it also leaves room for the person that she can outside of that and I liked that the novel left some space to explore several relationships she has with the people in her life and random chance encounters that happen during the run of the plot. That plot is driven by Hope's search for her sister Eden who is the most elusive character (purposefully). I am a bit torn how I feel about the "Eden-element" of the novel, since I felt not fully satisfied with how things ended between them but at the same time that is part of the point of that ending and of Eden, she is supposed to be frustrating and fail to be a possible anchor yet she is the driving force for Hope. I wanted to have more insight into her, just like Hope I wanted more from her. I understand why Kleine doesn't give us more, it would be a very different novel if she did but that didn't help the underwhelmed feeling I had the closer I got to the end.
On a positive note, I thought the switching between past and present and with the slow unveiling of events helped create some suspense but it also worked well in fleshing out the character of Hope. The more we learn the more she makes sense and novel's structure helps that process.
3.5*
July 16, 2018
I won an ARC of this book from a Goodreads giveaway, in return for my honest review.
I've only read a handful of books where I've been as frustrated with the characters as this book made me. Not because they were stupid or making terrible decisions, but because they (Hope especially) were trapped with this horrible near-death trauma that shaped who they are and spend their whole lives trying to escape it in their own ways.
Hope was unbelievably relatable for me. She didn't know how to fight the memories of her kidnapping, and let the experience define who she was and hold her back. It restricted her limits, it dictated how she could live and grow. She was codependent in a way on her sister (Eden), needing her to be there. When she couldn't have that relationship when Eden disappeared, she emotionally isolated herself. She kept herself from becoming too close or giving herself entirely mentally to anyone. Hope needed help, desperately, and didn't know how to reach out for it and ask. When she did start getting help by going to a therapist, she left out crucial information that may have helped her therapist find a way to get through to her and help her heal.
Instead, everything hinged on Eden. Aptly titled novel, honestly.
All of that being said, I loved this book. It was comforting to see the inner struggle of someone with trauma who then tries to live their life with possible PTSD, depression, and anxiety. To see that if you can physically and mentally confront your hangups, there's always room to grow and continue. I found myself getting anxious when Hope's thoughts were racing and she was disoriented. Relieved when she would get a break. This book made me feel, both sympathetically and empathetically. I'm very happy I was given the opportunity to read it.
I've only read a handful of books where I've been as frustrated with the characters as this book made me. Not because they were stupid or making terrible decisions, but because they (Hope especially) were trapped with this horrible near-death trauma that shaped who they are and spend their whole lives trying to escape it in their own ways.
Hope was unbelievably relatable for me. She didn't know how to fight the memories of her kidnapping, and let the experience define who she was and hold her back. It restricted her limits, it dictated how she could live and grow. She was codependent in a way on her sister (Eden), needing her to be there. When she couldn't have that relationship when Eden disappeared, she emotionally isolated herself. She kept herself from becoming too close or giving herself entirely mentally to anyone. Hope needed help, desperately, and didn't know how to reach out for it and ask. When she did start getting help by going to a therapist, she left out crucial information that may have helped her therapist find a way to get through to her and help her heal.
Instead, everything hinged on Eden. Aptly titled novel, honestly.
All of that being said, I loved this book. It was comforting to see the inner struggle of someone with trauma who then tries to live their life with possible PTSD, depression, and anxiety. To see that if you can physically and mentally confront your hangups, there's always room to grow and continue. I found myself getting anxious when Hope's thoughts were racing and she was disoriented. Relieved when she would get a break. This book made me feel, both sympathetically and empathetically. I'm very happy I was given the opportunity to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2018
3.5 The author is a performance artist and it shows in her creativity and ability to envision the world of this bizarre, but plausible story, as well as in the main character's profession and mindset. Hope is a thirty-something, NY playwright, hanging on by a thread -- professionally, socially, emotionally. Her mother has recently died of cancer and she receives a letter out of the blue letting her know the man (Larry) who kidnapped her as a pre-teen is up for parole. This sends Hope on a quest to find her half-sister Eden who experienced the trauma with her, though maybe worse since she was older at the time. Hope also returns to the world of her estranged father, who was tangentially responsible for the kidnapping when he neglected to pick them up at the bus station on his custody weekend. A picture of the girls' childhood begins to emerge – selfish father, hippie-dippy mothers and unresolved trauma from the kidnapping incident. The search by camper van takes Hope to a couple communes and ultimately across the country, but her sister clearly does not want to be found and their meeting is a little anti-climactic, though Hope learns a lot about herself. There are metaphors here too: Eden, the innocence that can’t be regained, Hope that searches….One person replies to her query: “I sense this is some sort of quest for you, needing some sort of closure….keep on keeping on. The best thing you have going for you is your name.” Hope realizes: I hated that kind of resolution: everything is not all right in the end. In the end, your bruises become scars and they make you who you are.” (206) and “I thought …about how I was addicted to continuing. It was what we did. It was how we lived. Make one decision and then another. Make one mark, then another. Write one word. Write another.” (261) Steps toward healing.
November 3, 2018
This book is ... fine. Given the premise I feel like it should be more than fine, though?
Andrea Kleine gets into the headspace of one of those crazy random stranger kidnappings, but focuses largely on the post-trauma as an adult. The book is very interested in how we as adults deal — or don't deal — with our childhood traumas.
Hope and her sister Eden are kidnapped during high school by a man named Larry. But much of the book follows Hope as an adult, when she gets a letter from the local DA, letting her know Larry is up for parole. They'd like to connect him to a very similar crime that resulted in the murder of a teenage girl before their case, and could Hope and her sister offer new testimony please?
This tees up an improbable journey of Hope tracking down her sister, who she has completely lost touch with. The nature of her search is so abstract and meandering it would be an annoying "find yourself" journey if not for the horrific inciting incident.
I'm not sure what I expected from the end, but I found it only modestly satisfying. Kleine does a good job of making you feel for Hope, even if her situation is completely unrelatable for most people (stranger kidnappings are some of the rarest of crimes). I guess I wanted her to find peace, though I'm not sure anyone could if that really happened to her.
Andrea Kleine gets into the headspace of one of those crazy random stranger kidnappings, but focuses largely on the post-trauma as an adult. The book is very interested in how we as adults deal — or don't deal — with our childhood traumas.
Hope and her sister Eden are kidnapped during high school by a man named Larry. But much of the book follows Hope as an adult, when she gets a letter from the local DA, letting her know Larry is up for parole. They'd like to connect him to a very similar crime that resulted in the murder of a teenage girl before their case, and could Hope and her sister offer new testimony please?
This tees up an improbable journey of Hope tracking down her sister, who she has completely lost touch with. The nature of her search is so abstract and meandering it would be an annoying "find yourself" journey if not for the horrific inciting incident.
I'm not sure what I expected from the end, but I found it only modestly satisfying. Kleine does a good job of making you feel for Hope, even if her situation is completely unrelatable for most people (stranger kidnappings are some of the rarest of crimes). I guess I wanted her to find peace, though I'm not sure anyone could if that really happened to her.
July 10, 2018
Dad was suppose to pick sisters, Hope (14) and Eden (16), up from the bus stop for his visitation weekend. He doesn’t show. His friend, or so he tells the girls, Larry comes to pick them up since he’s faithful camper has finally given up the ghost. He’s no stranger, he tells them, in fact he was at Eden’s 4th birthday party. Eden says she remembers and Hope and Eden climb into the back of his truck. This changes the course of the rest of their lives.
EDEN follows Hope, who is now a starving artist in New York City whose life begins to unravel once her illegal sublet is forced to be relinquished. Soon after she gets a letter from a lawyer advising that Larry will soon be up for parole and with the help of her and Eden, he may be able to lock him up for the murder of another young girl.
After reconnecting with her father, Hope convinces him to let her borrow “The Camper” and begins her search for Eden. Eden is a stoic individual, who marches to the beat of her own drum, who answers to no one and has always been that way.
This riveting novel reads more like a memoir of Hope. Her story reminds us that when we think we have hit our lowest low, we can wallow in our own self-loathing or be the change we need to fulfill our own destiny.
A huge thank you goes out to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me an ARC of this amazing book!
EDEN follows Hope, who is now a starving artist in New York City whose life begins to unravel once her illegal sublet is forced to be relinquished. Soon after she gets a letter from a lawyer advising that Larry will soon be up for parole and with the help of her and Eden, he may be able to lock him up for the murder of another young girl.
After reconnecting with her father, Hope convinces him to let her borrow “The Camper” and begins her search for Eden. Eden is a stoic individual, who marches to the beat of her own drum, who answers to no one and has always been that way.
This riveting novel reads more like a memoir of Hope. Her story reminds us that when we think we have hit our lowest low, we can wallow in our own self-loathing or be the change we need to fulfill our own destiny.
A huge thank you goes out to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me an ARC of this amazing book!
September 8, 2018
There is a spark inside Hope that she is seemingly unaware of. Her journey to reignite this spark and make some discoveries along the way, takes her from one end of the country to the other. At the beginning of the roller coaster ride of life she is the dependent little sister, seeking approval, companionship, and love from big sister Eden, who like a lot of older siblings is too cool to care. What is a family? What and who? We travel along with Hope as she allows herself the environment to learn some answers. She is so lonely and so alone. It is painful to read about her recognition of this. This story also addresses the concept of victim versus survivor. It is as if Hope is told she must be one or the other. Crazy making. What is important about clinging to a memory? Perhaps that is all Hope can really feel. I read this book in one sitting. I found Kleine’s writing to flow so easily even when jumping in to some dark places. This is a great story of a young woman who finds what she is made of, contemplates her life choices, and experiences once again that spark of courage that lights up the void.
September 28, 2018
Well, this was a complete waste of time.
The synopsis of Eden made this seem like it was going to be right up my alley. And the beginning really solidified this for me. However, after hitting the middle, I realized that absolutely nothing was happening. Don't get me wrong. I can get on board with a book that has very little plot as long as the character development is strong. But that's not the case here. All of the characters are shallow, paper-thin stereotypes with Hope leading the brigade.
All that happens here is that Hope goes on this road trip to find Eden, and multiple girls hit on her, and she revisits some people from her past, but essentially nothing really happens. So, that just means that this book is building on the anticipation of the moment Hope finally reunites with Eden...and then nothing happens.
Honestly, Eden was just a short, rambling mess. It felt like the equivalent of watching an indie movie that tries to be all deep, but ends up coming across as not only pretentious, but (and it really does need reiterating) a huge waste of time. Just don't bother.
The synopsis of Eden made this seem like it was going to be right up my alley. And the beginning really solidified this for me. However, after hitting the middle, I realized that absolutely nothing was happening. Don't get me wrong. I can get on board with a book that has very little plot as long as the character development is strong. But that's not the case here. All of the characters are shallow, paper-thin stereotypes with Hope leading the brigade.
All that happens here is that Hope goes on this road trip to find Eden, and multiple girls hit on her, and she revisits some people from her past, but essentially nothing really happens. So, that just means that this book is building on the anticipation of the moment Hope finally reunites with Eden...and then nothing happens.
Honestly, Eden was just a short, rambling mess. It felt like the equivalent of watching an indie movie that tries to be all deep, but ends up coming across as not only pretentious, but (and it really does need reiterating) a huge waste of time. Just don't bother.
May 30, 2024
I am so happy I read this. This is to Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage as the Clotelle: The Colored Heroine: Easyread Edition is to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in that both tell similar stories, but one does so from a point of view of privilege, and the other from the point of view of the disadvantaged.
It has the pervasive title character who is not the main character, like Rebecca, and the broken narrator. A broken narrator isn't special, but this one is broken is such a special way that her brokenness could never be universal, and yet her struggling feels universal. She actually exists the day to day struggle that I think I feel in my own life. I really liked this book.
It has the pervasive title character who is not the main character, like Rebecca, and the broken narrator. A broken narrator isn't special, but this one is broken is such a special way that her brokenness could never be universal, and yet her struggling feels universal. She actually exists the day to day struggle that I think I feel in my own life. I really liked this book.
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