Book Review: Edenhope by Louise Le Nay

The Blurb:

Marnie is sixty-three and downwardly mobile. Her middle-class marriage is long gone, her only child more or less estranged. She’s living in a granny flat behind a stranger’s house.

Still, things could be worse. She likes her new boss, Trinh, and her flat has a leadlight window depicting a galleon in full sail. Also, her daughter Lenny has just brought Marnie’s adored grandchildren to stay.

She’s also brought her repellent boyfriend and raging drug habit, so nothing new there. But this time it’s different. This time Marnie can see with absolute clarity the danger the children are in.

And this time—she’s going to do something about it.

This is the revelatory story of an ordinary woman who will let nothing, not even the law, stand in the way of her grandchildren’s safety. Simply, elegantly told and utterly compelling, Edenhope is an adventure for those who believe adventure can come from anywhere. And it is a love story for those who understand that love can be found everywhere.

My Rating: ★★★★

Review:

A realistic depiction of Australian society, I was quickly pulled into Marnie’s journey as she navigated homelessness, poverty, addiction, child neglect and abuse, the law and social welfare system in order to save her grandchildren from their own mother (her daughter). Marnie’s powerful determination to protect her grandchildren no matter the cost to herself was inspiring. Her journey, heart-breaking with each new setback. This was, thankfully, balanced out by the friendships Marnie bought with her and the support system she found along the way.

I loved the slow and purposeful character development of 63 year old Marnie; her commitment to her grandchildren, her courage and heart as she tried to protect Frankie and Koa. I loved her growth as she worked through her past and began to heal herself. I loved the way she didn’t back down even when it seemed impossible. And I loved so many of the secondary characters who were there to bolster her.

An emotional and thought provoking story, I really felt for Marnie. Devastated by her addict daughter’s actions over and over again, feeling guilt and shame over the person Lenny had become but still hoping that this time she would be able to ‘fix’ her. The despair she must have felt when she realised that her daughter was ‘unfixable’; coming to terms with having to let Lenny go so that her grandchildren would be protected. How painful to have to choose between your own daughter and your grandchildren. How much suffering could you bare before you decided to walk away from your own child?

With thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.