Paul Harding

This Other Eden

Chris Dailey

Magical realism meets race relations and eugenics in the US. Based loosely on a real island off the coast of Maine where freed slaves intermarried with Irish immigrant in the 19th century, a family is torn apart by misguided and/or malicious intentions from locals. Race and family are the prominent themes along with community, care, education vs intelligence, religion and modernity peppered throughout. Touchingly sad with deep tenderness and low key world building on the fictional island. For a lighter book, it took unusual focus to follow the flowery, and at times, gorgeous prose.

This Other Eden

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