Havah by Tosca Lee

Reviewed by Grace Bridges

"This one will leave you with much to think about, and perhaps a greater understanding of those events so long ago."

After Demon: A Memoir, this may seem a very different kind of book. The beginning of days instead of contemporary times, told by a famed figure of ancient times instead of a modern man, and a well-known story instead of pure speculation. However, on a second look, there are more similarities than we can imagine.

Just as the demon told his story of his fall from perfection, so Havah tells hers, along with her dreams of the beginning of the world that echo what the demon described. There is the same sense of tragic loss threaded throughout. This is a meaty morsel to chew on - again, no light reading here.

As we follow Eve through her stunning early life, mind-blowing cataclysm, and incredible old age when the world starts to be populated, we are brought deep inside her thoughts and experiences, and her longing for God, whom they call the One who Is. We follow her through the loss of her second son, and other losses that come after.

Poetic stanzas intersperse the text at long intervals, where Havah's thoughts turn to her own nature and place in the world. It is a very introspective book, filled with the roar of her longings and desperate desires.

Although the tale deals with bereavement of the most terrible sort - and that is certainly made clear as Havah mourns her whole life long for the Garden and communion with God, as well as the closeness she once knew with Adam - there is also gritty hope in the depiction of human resilience after such a disaster. And like Demon, there can be no truly happy ending, but there is a kind of satisfaction in persistence. This one will leave you with much to think about, and perhaps a greater understanding of those events so long ago.

Grace Bridges is a sci-fi author (Faith Awakened, 2007, and Legendary Space Pilgrims, 2010) and owner of Splashdown Books, an independent publisher of inspirational sci-fi and fantasy. She's a Kiwi of Irish descent living in beautiful New Zealand, and a chocaholic cat-lovin' Trekkie, Jesus freak, web designer, and all-round DIY gal who also takes care of the Lost Genre Guild blog. Tweets: @gracebridges - or visit www.gracebridges.com for more.