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A review by midwifereading
Eve by Elissa Elliott
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I can't honestly say I liked it, but I definitely didn't hate it. It was, overall, okay. And truly, pretty good for a debut novel. But, just saying that is unhelpful if you're trying to decide whether to pick it up or not.
First, what I appreciated. I always appreciate stories from the female perspective, especially when it comes to the Bible and history. I also thought the language, cadence, and tone of the writing felt suited to the ancient time frame. It felt mindful and true to the time. I also enjoyed the flashbacks of life in Eden, and the imagining of how that might have looked. The portrayal of ancient life and culture was interesting and added welcome detail to the setting, which made it easy to visualize while I was reading.
The conflict between Cain and Abel was well done. It actually drew a good arc culminating in Abel's murder and Cain's punishment. I thought that setup worked well, and the plotline held up.
However, as biblical fiction goes, this isn't great. A blurb on the cover compares <i>Eve</i> to <i>The Red Tent</i>. The two are nowhere near the same! The latter is a well researched, thoroughly fleshed out work that leaves the biblical narrative behind for most of the book in favor of telling one woman's story. I had problems with that one too, but it's a worthy book that stands on its own quite well.
The former stays too close to the biblical narrative and reimagines it to reflect the author's own questions and doubts. I have no idea what her faith background is, but there are many times in which the story is somewhat sacrificed for lessons or questions the author is trying to get across. It's not quite on the nose, but it comes close.
The timeline makes no sense. The entire main plot takes place over a summer, during which an entire city is built! A Sumerian-adjacent people all show up (essentially) in one day and build a city complete with a temple, a marketplace, royalty, and a long-standing, ready-made culture. No. Just...no.
Not one of the characters is likeable or relatable. Not. One. Granted, the chaos and struggle of their lives after the Garden has a believable, rough-around-the-edges feel that makes sense and really could have become a good foundation, but instead feels disconnected. I had high hopes, knowing that the story is being told from the female perspective, but it turns out that Eve and her daughters are simply female stereotypes with very little complexity.
Complexity was valiantly attempted, as each woman/girl wrestled with their own questions, but not one of them ever really acted like an actual human with character and principles. Instead, they each were unrealistically isolated, in spite of the communal living and culture. Each one an island unto herself with very little relationship to the others. It makes little sense.
Dara, the six year old, was by far the most believable. Elliott did an excellent job portraying a little girl's perspective, actually. Her voice was the most authentic of the four.
Eve was kind of a horrible person, which really bothered me. Completely immature, unlikeable, selfish, self-centered, and ridiculous. I could never be friends with someone like her.
The birth scenes, as usual, were unrealistic and awful. I kind of just ignored those.
Then there's the incest, normalized. Sigh...I hoped the author's note might explain her reasoning for the relationship between Naava and Cain (and the hinted chemistry between Aya and Abel), but she doesn't even mention it. Granted, a lot of people who believe in the Bible believe that incest was the only way humanity could have multiplied in the early days, with the assumption that the gene pool was wide and deep enough at the time to support it. But - a whole city of people show up, and brother and sister still...? Was incest really taken for granted at the time? I don't actually know, but there should have been a historical note about it.
Content warning: there is some non-graphic sexual content that is almost Discovery channelish. It's not titillating or gratuitous, but more practical and matter-of-fact. For example, Adam and Eve watch the animals and try to learn from them...😳 Kinda cringey.
To end on a high note, I do think Elliott wrote a decent first book. I think, if she learns to research better, and plot things out better, she could really produce some good stories!
First, what I appreciated. I always appreciate stories from the female perspective, especially when it comes to the Bible and history. I also thought the language, cadence, and tone of the writing felt suited to the ancient time frame. It felt mindful and true to the time. I also enjoyed the flashbacks of life in Eden, and the imagining of how that might have looked. The portrayal of ancient life and culture was interesting and added welcome detail to the setting, which made it easy to visualize while I was reading.
The conflict between Cain and Abel was well done. It actually drew a good arc culminating in Abel's murder and Cain's punishment. I thought that setup worked well, and the plotline held up.
However, as biblical fiction goes, this isn't great. A blurb on the cover compares <i>Eve</i> to <i>The Red Tent</i>. The two are nowhere near the same! The latter is a well researched, thoroughly fleshed out work that leaves the biblical narrative behind for most of the book in favor of telling one woman's story. I had problems with that one too, but it's a worthy book that stands on its own quite well.
The former stays too close to the biblical narrative and reimagines it to reflect the author's own questions and doubts. I have no idea what her faith background is, but there are many times in which the story is somewhat sacrificed for lessons or questions the author is trying to get across. It's not quite on the nose, but it comes close.
The timeline makes no sense. The entire main plot takes place over a summer, during which an entire city is built! A Sumerian-adjacent people all show up (essentially) in one day and build a city complete with a temple, a marketplace, royalty, and a long-standing, ready-made culture. No. Just...no.
Not one of the characters is likeable or relatable. Not. One. Granted, the chaos and struggle of their lives after the Garden has a believable, rough-around-the-edges feel that makes sense and really could have become a good foundation, but instead feels disconnected. I had high hopes, knowing that the story is being told from the female perspective, but it turns out that Eve and her daughters are simply female stereotypes with very little complexity.
Complexity was valiantly attempted, as each woman/girl wrestled with their own questions, but not one of them ever really acted like an actual human with character and principles. Instead, they each were unrealistically isolated, in spite of the communal living and culture. Each one an island unto herself with very little relationship to the others. It makes little sense.
Dara, the six year old, was by far the most believable. Elliott did an excellent job portraying a little girl's perspective, actually. Her voice was the most authentic of the four.
Eve was kind of a horrible person, which really bothered me. Completely immature, unlikeable, selfish, self-centered, and ridiculous. I could never be friends with someone like her.
The birth scenes, as usual, were unrealistic and awful. I kind of just ignored those.
Then there's the incest, normalized. Sigh...I hoped the author's note might explain her reasoning for the relationship between Naava and Cain (and the hinted chemistry between Aya and Abel), but she doesn't even mention it. Granted, a lot of people who believe in the Bible believe that incest was the only way humanity could have multiplied in the early days, with the assumption that the gene pool was wide and deep enough at the time to support it. But - a whole city of people show up, and brother and sister still...? Was incest really taken for granted at the time? I don't actually know, but there should have been a historical note about it.
Content warning: there is some non-graphic sexual content that is almost Discovery channelish. It's not titillating or gratuitous, but more practical and matter-of-fact. For example, Adam and Eve watch the animals and try to learn from them...😳 Kinda cringey.
To end on a high note, I do think Elliott wrote a decent first book. I think, if she learns to research better, and plot things out better, she could really produce some good stories!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Sexual content, and Violence