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When her teen daughter, Eden, survives a near-drowning in a pond near their home, Lucy is relieved she’s OK but then unnerved when her daughter insists that she is not Eden but Eli. Eli is the name Lucy chose for the twin she was carrying early in her pregnancy with Eden. But Eli just vanished, leaving her with one baby. And she’s never truly gotten over it.
She didn’t get along well with Eden, but now Eli, as she’s calling herself, is truly a different person. “Eli” is shunning Lucy’s husband, with whom Eden has always had a good relationship, and clinging to Lucy.
Of course, she knows there’s something wrong; it shouldn’t be happening. But she is pleased to finally be close to her child. She takes Eden to therapy, goes to therapy herself. Her husband insists everything is fine and Lucy is being weird again about the whole “Eli thing.”
But as time goes on, cracks appear in the family, and it’s difficult to see the truth of what’s happening and why.
My Name Was Eden is an interesting psychological thriller that has you guessing about the truth. Is Eden truly now her vanished twin, or is she going through a phase of some kind? Is Lucy herself a little unhinged? Are external forces at play? I had to keep turning pages to find out what the author came up with.
I don’t know if I’m completely satisfied with the result, not the actual plot points and denouement, but in how convincing the author made it. I felt that the parts that led to the ending needed a bit more fleshing out. But I think the author has promise.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 58 uses of strong language, around 50 instances of moderate profanity, about 15 uses of mild language, and 70 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes some crude references to sex, some very brief scenes with some detail, and references to adultery. Violent-type content includes a fire, a near-drowning, a child’s accidental death, and references to suicide.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
