Publisher: Pronghorn Press, (May 25, 2020)
Category: Literary Fiction, Southern Fiction, Family Fiction
Tour dates: May & June, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-941052-32-2
Available in Print and ebook, 285 pages
Description Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes
Rowen Hart has been raised as the pampered son and only child of a prominent family in the small community of White Rock, North Carolina. It’s the 1950s and he’s drifting through the days, following the life path his parents have planned for him and preparing to go away to college. When his father’s suicide turns his world upside down, he finds himself responsible for his mother in their suddenly reduced circumstances that leave them dependent on his uncle, his father’s business partner. Ill prepared to take over as head of the family, Rowen doesn’t know which way to turn. Then a neighbor’s ten year old daughter comes to live with them, baffling him with her wild behavior and never ending attempts to win his approval and making his new responsibilities even more overwhelming. As Rowen tries to find his way, he begins to question everything about his upbringing, his current circumstances and his plans for the future as they turn to dust in his hands.Praise Jamie Lisa Forbes
“Throughout this beautifully written story (Unbroken), I pictured the scenes, the characters, and visualized it all as if I walked among them. Five stars.”-Laurel Rain-Snow, Rainy Days and MondaysAbout Jamie Lisa Forbes
Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes
Review by Nora S.
Stories about kids always touch my heart and stories about kids suffering trauma, doubly so. In the pages of 'Eden' by Jamie Lisa Forbes, there are two young main characters, Rowen and the titular Eden. Both are children, (technically Rowen is 18 years old, but Eden is only 10) and both have experienced a very difficult trauma before the beginning of the book.
Rowen's father killed himself, leaving young Rowen as the head of his crumbling family and with very few resources to draw from. Rowen's mother, Rita experiences a heavy depression after losing her husband, and cannot fully function as a mother the way that he is used to. The family also loses their source of income and are forced to move to a smaller home.
Eden, on the other hand, lost her father to a murder that she witnessed. Eden's uncle killed her father in a shooting, and after basically being dismissed by the court for making up stories, Eden leaves her abusive mother and goes to stay with Rowen and Rita in their small house.
Both children are crying out for help and searching for acceptance in the new, terrifying world that they've been thrust into. Both were beautifully written, powerful characters that I felt so strongly for right away.
Though the book primarily revolves more around Rowen and his path to adulthood, I still found myself greatly impacted by little Eden and I think she is the character that I will be remembering most from this story for a long time to come. Her childhood was cut short so soon and so tragically, that it was absolutely devastating. I can see why Forbes chose to title the book after this poor little girl, as she really encapsulated the narrative as a whole. Sometimes you have to go through the hard times to get to the beauty beyond that we call Eden. I highly recommend ‘Eden’ and give it 5 stars!
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