51 pages • 1 hour read
This Other Eden
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
This Other Eden (2023) is a novel by Paul Harding. It is based on the real-life community of Malaga Island, a racially diverse island community off the coast of Maine that was evicted by the government in 1912. This Other Eden is Harding’s third novel; his first, Tinkers, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. This Other Eden enjoyed critical success, including being shortlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize. The novel follows the Honey family on Apple Island—a reimagined Malaga Island—capturing a moment in which eugenics exerted pressure on racially diverse and economically disadvantaged communities. The novel’s characters face intense prejudice but find support and strength through artistic endeavors and strong family legacies.
This guide refers to the hardcover first edition, published in 2023 by W. W. Norton and Company.
Content Warning: This guide includes depictions of racism, discrimination, forced eviction, eugenics, nonconsensual relationships, and rape.
Plot Summary
Benjamin Honey, a rumored formerly enslaved man, and his Irish wife, Patience, settle on an island off the coast of Maine in 1793. Benjamin’s only memory of his mother is from an apple orchard, so he plants an orchard and names the land Apple Island. Over 100 years later, his great-granddaughter, Unlock all 51 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
