This Other Eden
A community's struggle against societal judgment and intrusion.
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Cornerstone
Published:9th Feb '23
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£9.99(9781804940853)
The narrative of This Other Eden unfolds on Apple Island, where a diverse community confronts the challenges of societal intrusion and the quest for belonging.
Set at the dawn of the twentieth century, This Other Eden is a poignant exploration of a unique community on Apple Island, a sanctuary for those fleeing societal judgment. Inspired by real historical events, this narrative follows Benjamin Honey, a man of diverse heritage who, along with his Irish wife Patience, seeks to forge a new life away from the constraints of the mainland. Their journey reflects the struggles and aspirations of those who dare to dream of a better existence amidst adversity.
As the Honeys establish their home, they become part of a vibrant, eclectic group of neighbors, each with their own stories of resilience and hope. However, this fragile paradise is threatened by the encroachment of 'civilization.' Authorities aim to impose their will, leading to a heart-wrenching choice for the island's inhabitants. A missionary schoolteacher's decision to save one light-skinned boy highlights the harsh realities of societal norms, forcing the community to confront the painful implications of their existence.
Paul Harding's This Other Eden is not just a tale of survival; it is a lyrical testament to the human spirit's capacity for love and resilience. It invites readers to reflect on the nature of belonging and the cost of societal acceptance, making it a powerful commentary on the struggles faced by those who are often marginalized in society.
The Pulitzer prize-winning author's gifts have found their fullest expression . . . [This Other Eden] impresses time and again because of the depth of Harding's sentences, their breathless angelic light * Observer *
Masterful . . . This Other Eden is a story of good intentions, bad faith, worse science, but also a tribute to community and human dignity and the possibility of another world. In both, it has much to say to our times * Guardian *
Harding's new novel is suffused with the tremulous imagery and soaring imagination that won him the Pulitzer Prize . . . Exquisite -- Financial Times
Masterful . . . This Other Eden is a story of good intentions, bad faith, worse science, but also a tribute to community and human dignity and the possibility of another world. In both, it has much to say to our times. * Guardian *
Harding's new novel is suffused with the tremulous imagery and soaring imagination that won him the Pulitzer Prize . . . Exquisite. * Financial Times *
Rich and full-bodied in its lyricism, Harding's novel, too, is part warning, part memorial, but perhaps above all, reinforces the power of art to bring us into sympathy with strangers' lives. * Daily Mail *
Harding invites comparisons with authors such as William Faulkner, Robinson and even Elizabeth Strout . . . This Other Eden . . . begs to be widely read. * Spectator *
This Other Eden is ultimately a testament of love: love of kin, love of nature, love of art, love of self, love of home . . . The humans he has created are, thankfully, not flattened into props and gimmicks, which sometimes happens when writers work across time and difference; instead they pulse with aliveness, dreamlike but tangible, so real it could make you weep. * New York Times *
Powerful . . . a moving indictment of a shocking episode in America's past that is rendered in lyrical prose. * Mail on Sunday *
[Harding] writes with the gravitas of a mythmaker . . . The pace of Harding's storytelling is stately, his descriptions, even of small events, gorgeous . . . This Other Eden is beautiful and agonizing. * Harper's *
ISBN: 9781529152548
Dimensions: 222mm x 144mm x 24mm
Weight: 346g
224 pages