ABOUT
THE BOOK

Paul Harding’s breath-taking novel is inspired by the true story of Malaga Island, an isolated island off the coast of Maine that became one of the first racially integrated towns in the Northeast. In 1792, formerly enslaved Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife, Patience, discover an island where they can make a life together. Over a century later, the Honeys’ descendants and a diverse group of neighbors are desperately poor but nevertheless protected from the hostility on the mainland. During the summer of 1912, Matthew Diamond, a retired, idealistic but prejudiced schoolteacher-turned-missionary, disrupts the community’s fragile balance. (Bibliotheca Alexandrina) This Other Eden is an exceptional novel. It is lyrically expressed historical fiction which is “a tribute to community and human dignity.” (Rachel Seiffert, The Guardian) The main characters are complex, with compelling stories that take on mythical overtones. Paul Harding paints a vibrant and nuanced picture of family and community, as the narrative moves inexorably towards a tragedy which still resonates today. Selected for the 2023 Booker Prize long list. Originally published in the United States, the Canadian Rights were astutely acquired by Goose Lane Editions, a small, independent New Brunswick publisher with a reputation for a strong literary catalogue. (Saint John Free Public Library)