According to the creation myths of the Bible, Adam and Eve gave into curiosity and temptation and thus were cast out of the paradise they were meant to steward. Their lives outside the bounty of Eden were difficult, even painful, but their free will remained intact and essential. With this as a reference, Adam Sternbergh examines marriage, partnership, temptation, truth and lies in his latest novel, THE EDEN TEST.

"THE EDEN TEST is an entertaining domestic thriller with some neat surprises and an easy narrative style."

Daisy and Craig have been a couple for three years and married for two. On their second wedding anniversary, Daisy plans an elaborate getaway, but romance is not her primary goal. Their marriage already has grown rocky, and Daisy knows that Craig has been unfaithful. But she has several secrets and needs to finally come clean. She hopes that the time away together will be the start of a positive change. To help with that change, Daisy has enrolled them in the Eden Test, a therapeutic couples retreat in an isolated cabin in upstate New York. Craig, unbeknownst to Daisy, was planning on running away to Mexico with another woman the week of their anniversary, but he decides to drive to the cabin to see what Daisy’s surprise is all about.

Surprise is an understatement. Craig learns that the Eden Test means a question a day for seven days. These questions are meant to challenge couples to think deeply about their marriages and commitment to each other. The test is a tool developed by hippie therapists who have spouses stay at their cabin, hoping the focus on each other makes their matrimony stronger. Craig resists at first but soon finds himself ditching his lover in favor of his wife. However, his philandering ways are not easily put to rest as he flirts with a local waitress.

While Craig is using the Eden Test to think honestly about his feelings for his wife and his future with her, Daisy is less than honest with him. Yes, she hopes to save their marriage, and yes, the Eden Test is real, but she may be adding her own twist to it. A skilled actress, Daisy has survived abuse that Craig knows nothing about. She weaves these strands of her life --- her acting, her former relationship and her marriage to Craig --- into a weeklong tapestry of deceit as she hopes to create something safe and lasting with her husband. Daisy’s scheme is complex and grows increasingly dangerous as the figure she has been running from finally catches up to her in the Eden Test cabin. Will all her plans work out the way she hopes, or will it end in a violence she can’t control?

Sternbergh uses the Biblical myth of Eden as his metaphorical jumping-off point. Sometimes this works well, but occasionally it doesn’t. The seven days of the marriage retreat are a nod to the seven days of creation, of course, and there is a forbidden apple orchard for Daisy and Craig to stray into. Sternbergh names some characters symbolically --- Craig is having an affair with Lilith, who, according to extra-biblical myths in Judaism, was Adam’s first wife --- but he is attracted to Lorelei, who is named for the siren of Germanic legend. This lack of focus can be distracting at times, and the Eden theme could’ve been put to better use.

Still, THE EDEN TEST is an entertaining domestic thriller with some neat surprises and an easy narrative style.