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Century-Old History, Secret Struggles Launch Plot of Newly Published Novel

Breakwater Books will host Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg, author of the newly published novel, Eden, on Thursday, July 6 at 7 p.m. at the store, 81 Whitfield Street, Guilford. This event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so advance reservations are encouraged at 203-453-4141

In Eden, Becca Meister Fitzpatrick—wife, mother, grandmother, and pillar of the community—is the dutiful steward of her family’s iconic summer tradition, until she discovers her recently deceased husband squandered their nest egg. As she struggles to accept that this is likely her last season in Long Harbor, Becca is inspired by her granddaughter’s boldness in the face of impending single-motherhood, and summons the courage to reveal a secret she was forced to bury long ago: the existence of a daughter she gave up 50 years ago. The question now is how her other daughter, Rachel, with whom Becca has always had a strained relationship, will react.

Eden is the account of the days leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, as Becca prepares to disclose her secret and her son and brothers conspire to put the estate on the market, interwoven with the century-old history of Becca’s family, her parents’ beginnings and ascent into affluence, and her mother’s own secret struggles in the grand home her father named “Eden.”

“The 2000 summer season in fictional Long Harbor, Rhode Island, becomes the setting for a family reunion and the revelation of a long-held secret, not to mention the airing of more than a few resentments, in this debut novel. An engrossing, character-driven family saga,” says a review in Kirkus.

A Boston Herald review says: “[A] beautifully written masterpiece that takes you on a historical journey inside a tormented family’s summer home to reveal painful secrets, utter heartbreak, and major family drama. An inspiring first novel.”

The author is a voracious observer of human nature and has kept a journal since childhood. After graduating from Smith College, she embarked on a career in finance, making stops on Wall Street, Macy’s, and Harvard Business School, where she wrote case studies and business articles. A firm believer that you are never too old to change course, she enrolled at Grub Street, a creative writing center, where she turned her attention to memoir and later fiction. Eden is her debut novel. The author and her husband split their time between Boston and Westerly, Rhode Island. When not writing, she can be found playing squash, skiing, or taking in the sunset over Little Narragansett Bay. For book group questions and to learn more, visit www.jeanneblasberg.com.