Adam and Eve

Over the holidays I slowly made my way through Ahab’s Wife. I say slowly because there’s much to savor in Sena Jeter Naslund’s writing. However, when my professor referenced #3 on this list in his lecture last night, I wondered if cannibalism counts.  

In preparation for last week’s snow storm, yes, we did get bottle water. But more importantly we stopped at the library to stock up. So while the temperatures dropped, I found myself in a Middle Eastern oasis while rereading Naslund’s Adam and Eve.

Here’s what I said about this book in 2011:

Your mother is always right. Well, at least mine is. She's been recommending Ahab's Wife forever. And I keep relegating it to the bottom of the to-read list. But then I came across Sena Jeter Naslund's new book, Adam and Eve.

Lucy is a recent widow. Her late husband was a physicist studying extraterrestrial life. His work threatens those who believe proof of alien life forms would debunk their own creation myths. Just before his death, he leaves Lucy his flash drive containing his latest proof. Shortly thereafter, one of her husband's friends recruits Lucy to fly an ancient codex out of Egypt. Her enemies now have two reasons to find her.

Adam is an American soldier living in Eden. Having survived a brutal beating, he has made a primitive home for himself in a lost corner of the Middle East. His prayers for a companion are answered when Lucy's plane crashes into his midst.

Naslund's description of Adam's awakening breathes new life into the story as old as Genesis. Other authors have tackled the subject, but placing the characters in a future world reminds us we probably always strive for the forbidden fruits. And after we've taken the first bite, a mother will be there to say "I know." Then you will listen.