The Armenian Weekly profiles Chris and Secrets of Eden. Read here.
In North Carolina's Salisbury Post, Deirdre Parker Smith writes, "Secrets of Eden is a taut story about the consequences of domestic violence with a subplot about faith. . .Bohjalian is a very sympathetic and empathetic writer. He understands emotions and isn't afraid to feel them as he writes. . .[The novel] is ripe for discussion, debate and dissection." Click here for the full review.
Chris spent a few minutes chatting with Bethanne Patrick in the Book Studio. Bethanne asked Chris some questions he'd never been asked before. Watch the 7 minute interview here.
In the February 21 Miami Herald, Amy Driscoll calls Secrets of Eden "suspenseful" and
"searing," and concludes,"Bohjalian has written a literary murder mysterythat hooks readers early and keeps its secrets until the end. . .Bohjalian's book is about the power of secrets and sacrifice and warning against jumping to judgment. Those who doubt their faith, he writes, are sometimes the strongest among us."
In the February 21 Nashua Telegraph, Wendy Thomas writes, "A smart, well-constructed story, 'Secrets of Eden' weaves the complexities of an explosive situation with the fragility of human response and understanding into a story that captivates, holds you until its final pages, and that forces you reflect on the repercussions of abuse on us all."
Jessica Donaghy of goodreads asks Chris ten key questions. Read here.
Margot Harrison of Seven Days reviewed Secrets of Eden and profiled how Chris meets his readers. Read here.
The Seattle Times calls Secrets of Eden, "Page-turning," adding, "Bohjalian has a knack for creating nuanced, detailed first-person female characters. . .Secrets of Eden speeds along pleasingly as both thriller and character study."
Carol Memmott of USA Today calls Secrets of Eden "superb," adding, "Fans of Bohjalian's 11 other novels (including Midwives) know to expect the unexpected and, thanks to his creativity and cunning, readers usually get walloped by one heck of a plot twist by book's end. In Secrets of Eden, the old saw that none of us knows what really goes on in a house when the shades are drawn rings chillingly true." Read the full review here.
The Boston Globe called Secrets of Eden "superbly written -- vivid and horrifying without being melodramatic...a tribute to Bohjalian's storytelling skill."
Chris wrote about domestic violence and Secrets of Eden for the Huffington Post.
Novelist and Cosmopolitan editor John Searles featured Secrets of Eden on his winter roundup of books to read on the NBC Today Show (January 30).
Entertainment Weekly gave Secrets of Eden a terrific review: "Chris Bohjalian has always known how to keep the pages turning. In his latest novel, a small Vermont hamlet has been racked by a well-established couple's apparent murder-suicide. Bohjalian describes the aftermath of that ruinous night in varied voices, effortlessly slipping into the heads of the shaken local pastor, the no-nonsense deputy state attorney, and the best-selling author whose own past draws her to the scene of the crime. . .[A] study of guilt and grief."
Chris was interviewed by Caroline Leavitt for her blog in late January. They discussed Secrets of Eden — and what he is writing now. To read the full interview, click here.
Library Journal gave SECRETS OF EDEN a starred review. This makes three of the four pre-publication reviews for the novel a star. In 22 years of publishing books, Bohjalian has never had three stars. And the last time he had even two was for MIDWIVES in 1996. The review says, "Bohjalian's 13th novel is his most splendid accomplishment to date. . .Verdict: A fantastic choice for book clubs. . .Breathtaking."
-- Library Journal, Starred Review
Alden Mudge of Bookpage interviewed Chris about Secrets of Eden for the February issue: "The surprising twists of a small-town murder mystery. Read the interview here.
The January 17 Boston Herald listed ten books that people are looking forward to in 2010. Among the titles? Secrets of Eden. Others authors included in the story are Howard Frank Mosher and Stieg Larsson. Here is the whole list.
Independent booksellers have made Secrets of Eden a selection of the February 2010 "Indie Next List."
The new Booklist gave Secrets of Eden a starred and boxed review, concluding, Bohjalian "drops bombshell clues. . .and weaves subtle nuances of doubt and intrigue into a taut, read-in-one-sitting murder mystery."
In the December 7 Publishers Weekly Galley Talk column, Carol Katsoulis says of Secrets of Eden, "Bohjalian's prose is flawless, as is his understanding of the many facets of the human condition: wife beating, alcoholism, and infidelity are social issues that play major roles. As much as I love Bohjalian's books—I've read most of them—Secrets may become my favorite. Book groups will eat this one up."
Kirkus Reviews says Secrets of Eden has "specificity and complexity and...a somber power."
Publishers Weekly gives Secrets of Eden a starred and boxed review The critic calls the novel "a masterfully human and compassionate tale." To read the full review, click here.
Entertainment Realm interviewed Chris this autumn.
Read Amy Steele's surprising questions here.
Library Journal includes Secrets of Eden in its pre-pub alert. Read here what Barbara Hoffert sees arriving in February and March 2010.
The noose stays. Read Elaine Matsushita's article about Chris's house in the Snoopster.
Secrets of Eden book tour is finalized.
To see the full tour, click here.
Secrets of Eden coming in less then two months.
To preorder your copy, click here.
Here is how the book is described in the Random House catalog:
A novel of shattered family ties, intimate secrets, and the nature of sacrifice, Secrets of Eden is written with Chris Bohjalian's trademark compassion and explosive revelations.
"There," says Alice Hayward to Reverend Stephen Drew, just after her baptism, going home to the husband who will kill her that evening before turning the gun upon himself. Drew, tortured by the cryptic finality of that short utterance, feels his faith in God slipping away and is saved from despair only by a meeting with Heather Laurent, the author of wildly successful, inspirational books about . . .angels. Heather survived a childhood in which her father murdered her mother and then took his own life. Stephen flees the pulpit to be with her and see if there is anything to be salvaged from the spiritual wreckage around him. But then the State's Attorney begins to suspect that Alice's husband may not have killed himself - and Alice herself had secrets that only her minister knew. Secrets of Eden shows how guilt can often overshadow truth and how morally ambiguous a life really can be.
The novel will be a Lifetime movie and foreign rights have already been sold in the United Kingdom.
Brothers, the essay collection edited by Andrew Blauner is now on sale.
Chris has a story in it about his outrageously funny older brother, Andy. David Kelly wrote about the book in his New York Times book blog, "Paper Cuts"
Two New Hampshire towns have chosen Chris's novels for their "community reads" this autumn
Nashua will be reading Skeletons at the Feast and North Conway will be reading The Double Bind. He will be speaking in Nashua on October 25 and in North Conway on October 29. Details are on the Events page of this web site.
Chris's visit to The Book Studio is now live on the web
The Washington, DC tv show is hosted by Bethanne Patrick -- a terrific interviewer who had some interesting insights into Skeletons at the Feast. This clip runs about seven minutes. To watch it, click here.
Chris joined Todd Moe in March on North Country Public Radio
To listen to the nine-minute interview or download it to your iPod, click here
Chris reviewed Armenian Golgotha for the Washington Post
The review includes a bit of personal family history as well. To read the review, click here.
Chris spoke at Catawba College in March.
To get a sense of his remarks, read Deirdre Parker Smith's article
Connie Ogle of the Miami Herald interviewed Chris before his recent visit there.
The interview focused on the background of his new novel, as well as the sort of research he conducts for all his books.
Chris is interviewed by the National Public Radio Affiliate in Lexington, Kentucky.
Click here to listen to Tiffany Reisz's interview.
Chris visited the program, 207, on the "Skeletons" tour.
Click here to watch the six-minute interview.
Chauncey Mabe of the Sun-Sentinal offers a profile of Chris this week as well as an examination of the new novel
To read the story about Skeletons at the Feast, visit the newspaper's web site or click here.
Skeletons in the February 5 USA Today
Critic Carol Memmott includes the novel in her short list of new paperbacks. See the full list here.
Molly Pesce of www.bn.com names Skeletons at the Feast the # 1 tag of 2008
To see the video and all ten of Molly's tags, click here
Skeletons at the Feast chosen by the Washington Post as one of the best novels of the year In the December 7 Book World, the novel was selected as one of the 15 best historical novels published in 2008. Click here to see the full list.
Skeletons at the Feast makes the list in St. Louis
The St. Louis Post Dispatch selected the book as one of the best novels of 2008 in its year-end wrap up.
The Buffalo Soldier movie gets a cameo in Variety
The book will be adapted by Russell Schamuberg and star Emily Cline. Click here to read the article.
