NOVEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
At the end of WWII, Evelyn Roe is living alone, farming her aunt’s North Carolina land. After a flood, Evelyn rescues a man she finds buried in the mud. Stina Nielsen uses a Southern accent to recount the story of the mysterious Adam, who becomes Evelyn’s husband. Elements of this tale are drawn from the biblical Creation story. Nielsen delivers the story steadily, enticing the listener to savor the descriptions of farming, life, and love. Nielsen uses subtle variations of tone and inflection to differentiate the characters, especially Adam. As Adam evolves, Evelyn must protect his secret—until the day she begins to recount this unusual tale for her children. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Library Journal
Narrator Evelyn Roe looks back on her decades-long life with beloved husband Adam, their houseful of beautiful daughters, and the stunning secret of Adam's genesis that defined their marriage and nearly derailed it. In 1944, 17-year-old Evelyn inherited her aunt's North Carolina farm and thrived in the solitude and hard work. Three years later, in the midst of a driving rainstorm, Evelyn finds a nearly dead something half-buried in the mud. She's shocked to find that the being is not human but rather a shapeless life form that quickly morphs into an Evelyn lookalike whom Evelyn names Addie. The women hide their developing sensual, loving relationship from family and neighbors until Evelyn's biological clock cannot be ignored. A timely visit from a grifter provides Addie the cover she needs to leave for a while, returning as a newly morphed grifter-clone whom Evelyn renames Adam. Falling in love anew, they raise a family until tragedy almost destroys all that is precious. VERDICT First-time novelist Riley's exquisite language draws the reader into this improbable, beautifully rendered, somewhat biblical love story with a wildly imaginative premise that is irresistible, tender, and provocative.—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI
NOVEMBER 2013 - AudioFile
At the end of WWII, Evelyn Roe is living alone, farming her aunt’s North Carolina land. After a flood, Evelyn rescues a man she finds buried in the mud. Stina Nielsen uses a Southern accent to recount the story of the mysterious Adam, who becomes Evelyn’s husband. Elements of this tale are drawn from the biblical Creation story. Nielsen delivers the story steadily, enticing the listener to savor the descriptions of farming, life, and love. Nielsen uses subtle variations of tone and inflection to differentiate the characters, especially Adam. As Adam evolves, Evelyn must protect his secret—until the day she begins to recount this unusual tale for her children. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
