Eden Mine, S. M. Hulse
Eden Mine, S. M. Hulse
1 Rating(s)
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Eden Mine

Author: S. M. Hulse

Narrator: Elise Arsenault, Andrew Eiden

Unabridged: 9 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/11/2020


Synopsis

In Eden Mine, the award-winning author of Black River examines the aftershocks of an act of domestic terrorism rooted in a small Montana town on the brink of abandonment, as it tears apart a family, tests the faith of a pastor and the loyalty of a sister, and mines the deep rifts that come when the reach of the government clashes with individual freedomJo Faber is packing up the home she and her brother Samuel inherited. For generations, the Fabers have lived near Eden Mine, but Jo and Samuel will be the last. Their family home has been seized by the state through eminent domain.At the moment she hears the news of the bombing on the radio, Jo knows nothing, but she also knows that something isn’t right. The arrival of their friend and unofficial guardian, Sheriff Hawkins, confirms her suspicions. Samuel said he was going to find work. But soon it’s clear that he’s not gone, but missing—last seen by a security camera near the district courthouse at Elk Fork. And a nine-year-old girl, the daughter of a pastor of a storefront church, is in critical condition.This isn’t the first time Jo and Samuel have seen the ravages of violence visit their family. Last time, they lost their mother and Jo lost her ability to walk. Samuel took care of her, outfitting their barn with special rigging so she could keep riding their mule. But he was never the same, falling in with a separatist group, getting a tattoo he’d flaunt, then spending years hiding. She thought he had finished with all that. But now he’s missing, and she can’t talk to the one person she trusts.A timely story of the anger and disaffection tearing apart many communities in this country, S.M. Hulse’s Eden Mine is also a beautiful novel of the West, of a deep love for the land, of faith in the face of evil, and of the terrible choices we make for the ones we love.

About S. M. Hulse

S. M. Hulse’s first novel, Black River, was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction, an ABA Indies Introduce title, an Indie Next pick, and the winner of the Reading the West Book Award. Hulse received her MFA from the University of Oregon and was a fiction fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. An avid horsewoman, she has lived throughout the American West.

About Elise Arsenault

Elise Arsenault is a classically trained actor, singer, and voice-over artist. She has worked throughout the country with various regional theaters, including Merrimack Rep, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Ivoryton Playhouse, Imagination Stage, and the Discovery Theater at the Smithsonian Institute. Elise holds a BA from George Mason University and received further training at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. Her performances have been praised as high-strung, versatile and full of flair.

About Andrew Eiden

Andrew Eiden is an audiobook narrator who came from a long line of theater folk and has been acting since the age of four. He has starred in dozens of commercials as well as multiple television shows. At the age of eleven, he won first place in a local drama festival, which jumpstarted his acting career. He has performed in theaters ranging from the Glendale Center Theater to the Pasadena Playhouse.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paige on February 08, 2020

Most of the story moves to a steady beat. Not fast-paced, just balanced. Moderate. But then the end just hits you, and the emotions pour. The use of eminent domain has been enforced on their property, and Jo, a twenty-two year old paraplegic, narrates life in small town Eden, Montana after her older......more

Goodreads review by Tammy on February 02, 2020

The outcome of an act of domestic terrorism has unintended consequences on several fronts. A sister is left to contemplate the motivation for her brother’s action beyond the upcoming loss of their childhood home which they will lose due to governmental acquisition. She explores the loss of her own p......more

Goodreads review by Michelle on February 20, 2020

3.5 rounded up I will absolutely be looking for the next book by S.M. Hulse as I enjoyed this one very much. This and many other books similar to this are stories that need to be told. One of the main themes is how small town/rural America is suffering and so are the people that are living there that......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on January 04, 2020

I was a big fan of S. M. Hulse's debut novel Black River and have been eagerly awaiting Eden Mine. Hulse has a magic pen that creates a vivid sense of place and complex, conflicted characters embroiled in devastating moral choices. However damaged it might be, however poisoned, however marred, it's n......more

Goodreads review by Rich on March 11, 2020

I just finished another good book happy to report that. This was a very tough book for me to give a final rating to. I thought it was well written, good main character but a few hard to believe things she did not do, call a lawyer and also find a new place to live for starters lol. It is a very intr......more


Quotes

“Hulse’s talent is evidenced by her nuanced portrayal of Jo and the way she sees the world. In her relationship with Asa, in particular—both are scarred, both trying to heal—Hulse perfectly captures not only the landscape of the American West but also what it feels like to survive in a town that is dying.” New York Times Book Review

“A welcome entry in the genre of terror-themed fiction…Hulse simply concedes that the motivations of a terrorist are unknowable; she wants to understand the blast radius, not the bomb.” Los Angeles Times

“There is a toughness of spirit, a bleakness of light and circumstance, which twists thrillingly with every page…Hulse is a master storyteller—with every revelation she leads you further into the complex realization of how fanaticism and violence can erupt in a landscape as beautiful as Montana.” Amazon.com

“[In] Hulse’s dense yet lucid narrative…the nail-biting denouement is violent yet restrained, an additional sign of this young writer’s mature artistic powers.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A taut, poignant tale of a personal vendetta turned act of domestic terror…The dramatic conclusion kicks like a mule.” Publishers Weekly

“Mourning, loss, and love illuminate the pages of Hulse’s ruminative novel. Especially fine is her rendering of a person of faith struggling with doubt and the nature of evil.” Booklist


Awards

  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • Reading the West Book Award