1 out of 4 stars
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Fleeing Eden by Trisha M. Wilson is a science-fiction book that tells the story of a woman, Eve, as she wakes up in the village of Eden with no recollection of her previous experiences. It briefly details a forced marriage to a man named Adam and the struggles she faces trying to deal with this new village and new, unwanted husband. Eve fights the ideals of the village that are of an entirely pro-paternal society. This story tells of the challenges Eve faces while in Eden along with her escape, but it also continues with a description of how she got there, why she was there, and where to she escapes.
At first glance, I thought the theme of this book was based on an anti-religion viewpoint. The protagonist was incessantly complaining about not being able to make her own decisions in choosing her mate because it was the Goddess's, the villager's supreme being, decision and not ever being able to meet the Goddess. Then after further reading, I began to think the theme was based on feminism and the idea that women do not need a man in control of their lives. I thought this because of the protagonist's opinion of her mate and the unfairness in that he basically owns everything, including herself. But as I continued my reading, to the end of the story, I was no longer able to understand any theme of this book. The story just trailed off with no destination. By the end I was not sure if the author was trying to go for a anti-religious, a feminist, or a pro-religious theme.
The story seemed to be scattered and inconsistent. The descriptions were almost confusing and not detailed enough so I could not fully envision what the characters were seeing and experiencing. It was not a well written work as I spotted numerous grammatical errors, but also very cliche writing. Some of the thoughts of the protagonist and statements from the characters were cheesy that it made it difficult from the beginning for me to continue reading. But as I did continue, it was hard to relate to any of the characters or distinguish them from one another. They all had the same things to say and similar mannerisms about them. No character or story development thoroughly happened throughout this book.
Although I thought the story was underdeveloped and the writing immature, I did think the idea of the story was great, especially at the beginning. I do think that the whole story should have focused more on Eve's struggles in Eden and her escaping, but it was a decent story line. The village of Eden was infuriating, as it was supposed to be, and Adam was horrible which was very effective for the feminist theme, I think though that this should have been emphasized more and been a bigger part of the story than it ended up being. In fact, it seemed to be two stories in one with two problems, climaxes, and resolutions. It would have been more effective if the part of the story while Eve was in Eden was more elaborated and detailed, and the part after she escaped was more detailed but as a different work in itself.
I think this book could have potential, but in my opinion it does not work as is now. It needs more detail, more clarity, and more story and character development. I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars. It is not a fully developed story and it leaves you with more questions than answers along with a lack of understanding or the ability to relate to any of the characters. I do not recommend this book as it is now.
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Fleeing Eden
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