Marnie is sixty-three and downwardly mobile. Her middle-class marriage is long gone, her only child more or less estranged. She’s living in a granny flat behind a stranger’s house.
Still, things could be worse. She likes her new boss, Trinh, and her flat has a leadlight window depicting a galleon in full sail. Also, her daughter Lenny has just brought Marnie’s adored grandchildren to stay.
She’s also brought her repellent boyfriend and raging drug habit, so nothing new there. But this time it’s different. This time Marnie can see with absolute clarity the danger the children are in.
And this time—she’s going to do something about it.
This is the revelatory story of an ordinary woman who will let nothing, not even the law, stand in the way of her grandchildren’s safety. Simply, elegantly told and utterly compelling, Edenhope is an adventure for those who believe adventure can come from anywhere. And it is a love story for those who understand that love can be found everywhere.
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andEdenhope
‘A moving story about one woman’s unconditional love, the kindness of strangers, and what’s right as well as what’s wrong with the way we live now.’
‘Fiction is one road to empathy, and Louise Le Nay’s Edenhope offers unblinkered clarity…Overheard dialogue, sharply realised characters, and an imaginative grasp as informed as Caroline Overington’s novels…’
‘The splendour of this contemporary novel is in the quiet, practical resilience that emanates from Marnie throughout the ordeal…Brilliantly characterised by Le Nay…What follows is a cathartic journey filled with moments of tension as well as peace, despair and hope…Marnie is likely to be wholly recognisable to many women the world over, yet people like her rarely come to the fore in novels…All of this makes Marnie—and her quietly courageous story—entirely and compellingly relatable.’
‘Edenhope’s tenderness, harrowing truth and everyday beauty makes it one of the must-read fiction books of the year.’
‘If Edenhope was a film, it would be edge-of-the-seat stuff, a two-tissue tale with all the feels…Le Nay’s understanding of character enriches not only the major players but also the many and varied country people who come to the little family’s aid…Readers will cheer for Marnie and want her to take several curtain calls.’
‘4.5 stars. Heartache and hope sing a thematic duet…A potent, highly relatable character in the matriarchal heroine…Exciting narrative and rich in colourful rural Australiana.’
‘4 stars. I loved the short, very simply, but expertly written chapters. I loved the fact that the main character was a woman in her sixties…I enjoyed that her age and upbringing gave her wise takes on people and the world. I loved all of the side characters, even the unpleasant ones…And I loved the relationships…[Edenhope] has real heart, and I would highly recommend it.’
‘5 stars. A quietly unfolding novel with contemporarily impacting themes of Australian society woven through the narrative…Thought provoking and deeply emotional.’
