This is Elsie V. Aidinoff’s first novel, and it was published in 2004. The Garden is a story about the beginning of mankind in reference to the biblical figures of Adam, Eve, the Serpent, and God. The novel is told from Eve’s point of view. The novel opens with Eve awakening in the Garden of Eden. Eve is taught lessons in life by the Serpent, a form changing, color changing, and talking snake. The Serpent teaches Eve of freedom, the all knowing presence of God, as well as his own place; God made the Serpent to educate Adam and Eve, thus, God made the Serpent aware of the knowledge of Good and Evil. Thus, the Serpent knows of both good and evil while Adam and Eve only know of Good.
The climax of the story comes when Eve finally decides she wishes to obtain the utter freedom that comes with the knowledge of Good and Evil. In order to understand, Eve and Adam must eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After Eve makes the choice to eat the apple, Adam listens to Eve, who in turn was listening to the Serpent. Overall, Adam and Eve both disobey God’s rules, and therefore, things begin to change in the Garden of Eden. All of the changes are witnessed through the eyes of Eve, something which sets this novel apart from prior depictions of “the beginning.”
On the last day, things drastically change for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve begin to experience cold and hunger, as well as fear. God becomes enraged at the Serpent for teaching Eve to disobey his wishes. As a result, all the animals, including the Serpent, Adam, and Eve, are thrown from the Garden. In the words of the author, “The Garden is a different perspective on Eden; Eve is protagonist and has central place. This may have been the Eve we would have seen if the Bible had been composed by a less patriarchal society” (Aidinoff, author’s note, 2004, page 403).
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