This other Eden : a novel
In 1792, formerly enslaved Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife, Patience, discover an island where they can make a life together. Over a century later, the Honeys' descendants and a diverse group of neighbors are desperately poor, isolated, and often hungry, but nevertheless protected from the hostility awaiting them on the mainland. During the tumultuous summer of 1912, Matthew Diamond, a retired, idealistic but prejudiced schoolteacher-turned-missionary, disrupts the community's fragile balance through his efforts to educate its children. His presence attracts the attention of authorities on the mainland who, under the influence of the eugenics-thinking popular among progressives of the day, decide to forcibly evacuate the island, institutionalize its residents, and develop the island as a vacation destination. Beginning with a hurricane flood reminiscent of the story of Noah's Ark, the novel ends with yet another Ark. In prose of breathtaking beauty and power, Paul Harding brings to life an unforgettable cast of characters: Iris and Violet McDermott, sisters raising three orphaned Penobscot children; Theophilus and Candace Larks and their brood of vagabond children; the prophetic Zachary Hand to God Proverbs, a Civil War veteran who lives in a hollow tree; and more.
Available Copies by Location
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Community Centre | Available |
Other Formats
Browse Related Items
| Subject |
| Islands > Fiction. Families > Fiction. Missionaries > Fiction. Race relations > Fiction. Eugenics > Fiction. |
| Genre |
| Historical fiction. |
- ISBN: 9781773103129
- Physical Description 221 pages ; 23 cm
- Publisher [Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 2023.
Additional Information
Summary
This Other Eden
Finalist, Booker Prize and National Book Award for Fiction Longlisted, Dublin Literary Award One of Barack Obama's 15 favorite books of 2023 * A New Yorker Best Books of 2023 * An NPR 2023 "Book We Love" Pick and Top 10 Book of 2023 * One of Time 's 100 Must-Read Books of 2023 * One of the New York Times 's 100 Notable Books of 2023 and Best Historical Fiction of 2023 * A Chicago Public Library Favorite Book of 2023 * A Fresh Air Top 10 Best Book of 2023 * A Publishers Weekly Best Fiction of 2023 From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Tinkers , a novel inspired by the true story of Malaga Island, an isolated island off the coast of Maine that became one of the first racially integrated communities. In 1792, formerly enslaved Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife, Patience, discovered an island where they could make a life together. More than a century later, the Honeys' descendants remain on Apple Island, with an eccentric, diverse band of neighbours: a pair of sisters raising three Penobscot orphans; Theophilus and Candace Lark and their nocturnal brood; and the prophetic Zachary Hand to God Proverbs, a Civil War veteran who lives in a hollow tree. Then comes the intrusion of "civilization": eugenics-minded state officials decide to "cleanse" the island, and a missionary-schoolteacher selects one light-skinned boy to save. The rest will be left to succumb to institutions or cast themselves on the waters in a new Noah's Ark. In prose of transcendent beauty and power, Paul Harding has written a mesmerizing story that explores the hopes, the dreams, and the resilience of those perceived not to fit in a world brutally intolerant of difference.
Click here for Terms of Use.
