Daughter of Eden by Jill Eileen Smith was a Biblical fiction read and a book from my birthday haul this year.

We all know the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, this is not a retelling of that story. Rather, it is the imagined story of Adam and Eve’s life after being expelled from the Garden of Eden. Their struggles, challenges, and dangers the world outside faced the first two humans. From the paradise and tranquility that was The Garden of Eden to a much more dangerous and hostile world where they must learn to adapt and survive to a vastly different environment.

This imaginative retelling makes the reader come face to face with the reality of what Adam and Eve faced. Honoring their faith, surviving, missing their daily interaction with the Almighty, Cain and Abel, the Nephilim, and the simple we take for granted. Eve is the protagonist of the story, but she sometimes fades into the background of the story to remain faithful to the Bible.

There is drama and tension throughout the story. Adam and Eve both struggle with their sin and with their relationship with one another as a result. Adam struggles throughout the book to forgive Eve. Eve struggles with her guilt and the results original sin has unleashed. The many children of Adam and Eve are featured throughout the book, some more than others for obvious reasons. Cain and the repercussions from his actions and decisions is the underlying plot of the story.

My reactions to this book are mixed after sitting on it for several days. I loved the story telling and the careful attention to detail. The faith was prominent without being preachy. The modern-day human struggled with the incest, necessary to abide by God’s word but still the thought continually nudged me. I understand the whys, hows, and that with God all things are possible, including altering DNA to prevent inbreeding but still, it was that modern human itch I was constantly attempting to scratch.

My other uncomfortable reaction to this novel was its abrupt ending. Eve and Adam, aged and finally making a lasting peace with one another are having a private, intimate moment by the river when Eve is abruptly taken up into heaven by God. There the story ends. There is no biblical basis for the assumption of Eve by God. This is literary license and it isn’t objectionable and it isn’t heretical, but it made this Catholic extraordinarily uncomfortable.

I don’t know how Eve died, and I do not profess to know the mind of God. I just know that the abrupt ending was jarring and left me perplexed. The story itself was good, while it struggled to embrace a vast timeline and limited source material. It is up to individual reader to decide their reaction to the story and the ending.

Adam and Eve would be welcome into the pub, but the pub couldn’t handle the multitude of their descendants at the same time. I imagine they would be swamped with questions from other protagonists in the pub.