In This Other Eden, Paul Harding weaves a hauntingly beautiful story of resilience, survival, and the enduring spirit of hope in the face of adversity. The novel, set on Apple Island off the coast of the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, follows a community of castaways who have sought refuge from society’s harsh judgments. These individuals, each fleeing a world that deemed them unworthy, come together to form a new home.
Among them are Benjamin Honey, a formerly enslaved man, and his Irish wife, Patience, who arrive on the island in 1792 with dreams of creating a new life. Over a century later, their descendants remain, living alongside an eclectic and diverse group of neighbours. But when the outside world intrudes, bringing with it the promise of “civilization,” the islanders’ way of life is threatened. A missionary schoolteacher selects a light-skinned boy to “save,” while the others are left to face either the institutions of authority or the possibility of escaping by sea in a new “Noah’s Ark.”
The novel reaches its dramatic peak with the arrival of a violent hurricane in 1815. As the storm’s fury tears through the island, Patience and her family are forced to cling to a single, enduring symbol of hope—a flag sewn from pieces of other flags. In the midst of the storm’s overwhelming force, Patience holds the flag high, an act of defiance and survival in the face of seemingly certain doom.
This Other Eden explores the power of community, identity, and survival against the backdrop of an unforgiving natural and societal world. Harding’s prose is richly lyrical, capturing both the intimate struggles of the Honey family and the larger forces that threaten to erase them.
This novel was written by Paul Harding and published on August 8, 2023. For more information, please refer to the author’s website or publisher’s page.
