This Other Eden

In 1792 Benjamin Honey, who had been enslaved, and his Irish wife Patience settle on a small island to build a life together. By the early twentieth century their descendants are still there, along with an unusual set of neighbours: two sisters, Iris and Violet McDermott, bringing up three orphaned Penobscot children; the large Larks family; and Zachary Hand to God Proverbs, an old Union soldier whose home is the trunk of a tree. The islanders are poor and frequently go without food, yet the island shields them from the contempt waiting on shore. In 1912 a former schoolteacher, Matthew Diamond, comes as a missionary to teach the children. He means well but shares the prejudices of his day, and his visits bring the island to the notice of mainland authorities who have embraced eugenics.

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About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

Historical (assigned by AI)

Set in

United States, 1792–1912

First published

2023

Author's age

56 when first published

ISBN

9781324036296 (W. W. Norton, United States)

9781324074526 (W. W. Norton, United States)

9781529152548 (Hutchinson Heinemann, United Kingdom)

9781804940853 (Penguin, United Kingdom)

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Wikidata