A Book Review: Havah

I have so many thoughts rattling around in my head these days. Five or more posts are waiting to get written down to share with you. But in light of the long weekend, and perhaps everyone's last chance to sit beside the pool with a good book, I'd like to share a book review with you. So here it is:

I recently read a book that altered my perception of the earth’s first woman in startling ways. If you haven’t heard of Tosca Lee’s new book, Havah, then you’ve been missing out.

Lee brings to life Eden and Eve’s life in it starting from the moment of Eve’s first breath. Her skill with descriptive language places us in Eve’s skin and has us experiencing this new life with her. We get the otherworldly-yet-not feel from how Lee portrays this paradise and we marvel with Eve at “the adam” who is with her. We also marvel the complete knowledge they have of each other, how they read each other’s thoughts and sense each other’s whereabouts. This man and woman are perfect for each other. They never argue. There’s no misunderstanding. Ah yes, this is what paradise would be!

The funny thing is, even though as readers familiar with the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, we know how it’s going to turn out, Lee manages to keep us turning pages. She deftly draws us into the story. She shows keen insight into human nature. And she captures the devastation of The Fall in ways I had not ever considered.

Much of what takes place in the story comes in the time after Eden. Lee fills in the gaps of years between the lines of Scripture and gets us out of our preconceived stereotypes of the characters in the familiar stories. Her use of the Hebrew names (“Havah” for Eve, “Kayin” for Cain and “Hevel” for Abel) not only aid that shift but also add to the ancient feel of the narrative. All throughout the story her use of unusual terms and surprising descriptions add depth and emotion to the story.

Lee is an incredibly gifted writer. And as a former Mrs. United States, she obviously has talent to spare. I cannot recommend this book enough. It is a book about being a woman, about relationships, and ultimately, about hope. Get yourself a copy today!