This Other Eden is certainly up there with Paul Harding’s other novels, Enon and Tinkers. It’s a bit of a slow-burner to begin with which, given the subject matter, is somehow fitting. Part social and historical narrative, part love story, it lays bare a slice of unsavoury history. We may associate eugenics with the Nazis, but This Other Eden is set in the USA well before then.
Although there is no plethora of plot lines nor a myriad of ‘events’, Harding does not need these to paint his characters with skill and compassion. Whilst we may not be able to associate with their rudimentary way of living, this does not stop us feeling some kind of attachment to them, regret at their plight, the unfairness of it all.
From a craft perspective, I think the editing could have been a little tighter in places (some annoying repetition here and there), but this does not devalue the writing skill on display.
Ian Gouge - Writer 