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.) If he'd been a dad himself, that's what he would have done, and maybe ten years from now we'd both be better off.Anyway, if I live to a very old age, I know I'll have tons and tons of regrets.I mean that.But somehow I don't think putting a bullet into my dad's head is ever going to be one of them.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSOnce again I am indebted to a great many early readers, none of whom is a literal angel but all of whom were profoundly helpful.Among them? There is the Reverend David Wood, one of my closest friends and the pastor of the church where I have worshipped most of my adult life.There is Lauren Bowerman, an assistant attorney general with the State of Vermont.This is the third time that Lauren has graciously told me what is authentic in one of my manuscripts and what is completely ridiculous.In addition, Dr.Steven Shapiro, the chief medical examiner for the State of Vermont, helped me understand what would have happened to the fictional George and Alice Hayward after they died.Siri Rooney, the victim advocate for the Lamoille County state's attorney's office, shared with me the horrors that a battered woman such as Alice was likely to endure, as well as the resources that were available to her.Meanwhile Bridget Butler taught me about birds.Among the books that were especially valuable was Dr.Louis Cataldie's memoir of his years as the chief coroner of Baton Rouge, Coroner's Journal: Forensics and the Art of Stalking Death.Other readers included a variety of friends and agents, many of whom are both, including Stephen Kiernan, Jane Gelfman, and Dean Schramm; my editor of fifteen years and one of my very closest friends, Shaye Areheart; my lovely bride of a quarter century now, Victoria Blewer; and, for the first time, my deeply thoughtful teenage daughter, Grace Experience.I am grateful as well to Cathy Gleason at Gelfman Schneider; to Arlynn Greenbaum at Authors Unlimited; and to the whole enthusiastic team at the Crown Publishing Group: Andy Augusto, Patty Berg, Cindy Berman, Sarah Breivogel, Whitney Cookman, Jill Flaxman, Jenny Frost, Kate Kennedy, Christine Kopprasch, Jacqui Lebow, Matthew Martin, Donna Passannante, Philip Patrick, Annsley Rosner, Jay Sones, Katie Wainwright, Kira Walton, and Campbell Wharton.It really does take a village--or a skyscraper floor.I thank you all for your wisdom, your counsel, and your honesty.SECRETS OF EDENChris BohjalianReading Group Guideby Kira WaltonA NOTE TO THE READERIn order to provide reading groups with the most informed and thought-provoking questions possible, it is necessary to reveal important aspects of the plot of this book--as well as the ending.If you have not finished reading Secrets of Eden, we respectfully suggest that you may want to wait before reviewing this guide.ABOUT THIS GUIDE"There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, and just before going home to the husband who will kill her that evening and then shoot himself.Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, an author of wildly successful inspirational books about.angels.Heather survived a childhood that culminated in her parents' murder-suicide, so she identifies deeply with Alice's and George's daughter, Katie, offering herself as a mentor to the girl and a shoulder for Stephen--who flees the pulpit to be with Heather and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him.But then the state's attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself.and finds out that Alice had secrets only her minister knew.This reader's guide is intended as a starting point for your discussion of the novel.1.Re-read the quotes that open the book.One is from a leading voice of Enlightenment rationalism, the other from the Bible.Samuel Johnson speaks about loss and sorrow; the quote from Genesis is about the bonds of marriage.What did you think of this unique pairing when you began reading? Now that you've finished Secrets of Eden, how do these quotes help shape your understanding of the story?2 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]