"EDEN"--from gifted storyteller JAMIE LISA FORBES--a compelling novel of Southern life in the 1950's--a young man's life is forever changed by his father's suicide and the intrusion of a strange child into his family's world (see my review)

Eden

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.

MY REVIEW:  "Eden", from author Jamie Lisa Forbes, is an atmospheric tale set in 1950's North Carolina. Rowen Hart, a young man ready to begin college and move forward on the road of life laid out by his parents is shaken to the core by his father's suicide. At age eighteen, suddenly Rowen must care for his mother, manage money, and make decisions that he never thought he would be making. In the aftermath of his father's death and financial fiasco, Rowen and his mother Rita lose their home in town and move to the country. Their housekeeper, Adeline, is the person whom Rowen depends upon the most. His mother, distraught over the loss of her husband and their change circumstances, has taken to her bed. Life becomes even more complex with the arrival of Eden Whitney, a ten-year old girl who is connected to both Rowen's family and to Adeline. When Eden testifies in court that she saw her mother's brother kill Eden's father, her mother forces her to flee their home. Eden finds refuge with Rowen, his mother, and Adeline. When Rowen's Uncle Hugh, his father's brother and business partner, tells Rowen that there is no money for him to go to college or to allow Adeline to keep working for them, Rowen doesn't know where to turn. A helping hand comes from a neighbor who offers Rowen a job at his roofing company. Finances improve, but personal circumstances become more complicated as Eden's unpredictable behavior escalates. As time passes, and Rowen marries and starts his own family, the past will not let go, and the present, with racial tensions and restrictions, bears its own ominous portents. A devastating tragedy, secrets brought to light, and self-realizations will not only shape the course of Rowen's life, but they will have a deep and lasting effect on those around him. As he finally comes full circle, can he build a bridge to bring together from all sides all that he holds dear? "Eden" is a compelling read, with unforgettable characters and an insightful look at our culture in a time and place where the color of one's skin tinted every aspect of life. A recommended read from a gifted storyteller.

Book Copy Gratis Author 


Jamie Lisa Forbes

 

Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a ranch on the Little Laramie River thirty miles west of Laramie, Wyoming. Like many Wyoming children of her generation, she attended a one-room schoolhouse during her early school years.
She received a degree in Philosophy and English from the University of Colorado in 1977. She spent the next year and a half of her life in Israel, where she met her husband.

In January 1979, Ms. Forbes and her husband returned to the Little Laramie Valley where, for fifteen years, they ran the family ranch and raised two children.
The Forbes family ranch was sold in 1993 and Ms. Forbes then moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. She began writing her first novel, Unbroken, while in law school. 

In 2011, Unbroken won the WILLA Literary Award for best outstanding fiction about women in the West.

Her short story collection, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories was published by Pronghorn Press in 2014. The Widow Smalls and Other Stories won the 2015 High Plains Book Awards, short story category.

Today, Ms. Forbes is a practicing attorney. She has a novel in progress. She is the proud grandmother of five grandchildren and true to her native country, still owns a horse, Cody. 

http://www.jamielisaforbes.com