The Eden Test

A Novel

De: Adam Sternbergh

Narrado por: Carlotta Brentan

Long-listed, Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year 2023

"Narrator Carlotta Brentan performs fascinating monologues of Daisy and Craig. She captures the rhythm and the cadence of each of their voices and does a fine job of revealing their distinct personalities. As the story unfolds and Daisy and Craig find themselves in physical danger, Brentan's ability to ramp up the tension to an excruciating level will have listeners squirming in their earbuds."—AudioFile Magazine

"A galloping and exhilarating thriller." —Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

From Edgar Award-finalist Adam Sternbergh, an electrifying domestic suspense novel for fans of The Perfect Marriage and Rock Paper Scissors, about a couple who are forced to the ultimate extremes to save their marriage—and themselves.

Seven Days. Seven Questions. Forever Changed.

Daisy and Craig’s marriage is in serious trouble. That’s why Daisy has signed up for The Eden Test, a week-long getaway for couples in need of a fresh start. Yet even as she’s struggling to salvage her marriage, it seems Craig has plans to leave her for another woman. In fact, his bags are already packed—long before he arrives to meet Daisy in this remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York.

At first, their week away is marked by solitude, connection, and natural beauty—and only a few hostile locals. But what Craig doesn’t know is that Daisy, a slyly talented actress, has her own secrets, including a burner phone she’s been using for mysterious texts. Not to mention the Eden Test itself, which poses a searing new question to the couple every day, each more explosive than the last. Their marriage was never perfect, but now the lies and revelations are piling up, as the week becomes much more than they bargained for…How far are they willing to go?

Adam Sternbergh brings his wit, originality, and a Hitchcockian sense of dread to this chilling, surprising, and wholly entertaining portrait of a marriage on the brink.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

©2023 Adam Sternbergh (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A galloping and exhilarating thriller, The Eden Test is about marriage and deception and it will have you rooting (against all odds) for the couple at its center."—Laura Dave, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

"What makes a successful marriage? That's the question at the heart of this twisty, twisted, and compulsively readable thriller. It's Adam Sternbergh's best novel yet—full of smart and thoughtful questions about husbands, wives, and the secrets of domestic bliss."—Jason Rekulak, author of Hidden Pictures

"An utterly gripping thriller that pulls off a tidy trick—The Eden Test is about deceit, infidelity, and violence, yet somehow is also a thoughtful story about how to make a happy marriage."—Rumaan Alam, National Book Award nominated author of Leave the World Behind

Dry

Dry plot and characters had no depth. The story as a whole was just blah.

Tell Don’t Show

Mildly clever conceit but really a shocking amount of TELLING and EXPLAINING. Remarkably boring for a mystery.

Requires massive suspension of disbelief!

A couple with a good wife with the strangest idea to test a marriage ever and her stunningly stupid husband have a completely unrealistic situation. I just kept thinking “why don’t you just go home” and then “who would think this was OK?”.

Are You Ready? Get Ready!

I’m eating lox and goat cream cheese on toast. I worried if the fish was gone bad, not safe or enjoyable to eat. Will I spend the night being sick and regretting it? My theory: drink a tumbler filled with chipped ice and my favorite aperitif. That way if the fish is bad the alcohol will kill the germs in my tummy. Warning: don’t try this at home —-it doesn’t work. I didn’t get sick (yet). I enjoyed the drink; the lox? ……. “…….Eh…….”! THATS HOW I FELT RE THE BOOK!!! Read my review again; lots of other ideas re the book may strike you; then again, do you want to spend the time? Like the book : Not Terrible, but, overall, I’m sorry I spent the time!

Lol

The degree of unrealism in this book is almost funny. This plot was pretty ridiculous and yet it was also totally predictable.

Craig, Wanna Buy a Bridge?

The reader has a most soothing voice during narration and female parts but I deduct one star for making all males
sound like Rocky with a nose full, which dumbed down all the men. The premise started off great and wanting to know all seven questions suckered me into finishing the book. Daisy's marriage test stunt was ridiculous and I want my one book credit back. I have always distrusted people who gave me a test I did not know I was taking and when Craig thought the stunt was a thoughtful gesture, he became the leader in my shallowest character I have ever read contest. Where in USA do two EMTs remove two bodies yet no police are on the scene. No. These lovebirds, within 24 hrs. of committing two murders, are enjoying the fruits of communicating about The Seven Questions.
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Just a Jumble

Too many plot lines...cheating husband, mysterious past, changed identity, weird couples retreat. none of it was worth the read.

Hooky Concept/Cardboard Characters

I got sucked into the concept, and so I listened to this for far longer than I'd like to admit. But if the characters turned sideways, they'd disappear. The husband and wife both left me shaking my head, thinking, "why would a person ever say/do/think that?" The answer is they wouldn't. Characters are often described by the 3rd person narrator as charming when they are the exact opposite of charming. They are trite, shallow, and humorless. The authorial voice is also dismissive of seemingly all complexity and genuine human emotion. It should be written in first person, because, as it is, it's a dead giveaway that the author is basically an arrogant, shallow person.
I actually had a vision while listening--this is what novels will look like that are written mostly by A.I. in the near future. Writers with little ability to go deep on a character's psychology and emotions will just fire in some concepts to A.I. and out will come remixes like The Eden Test.

I loved this book!

I finished this book in a day, I couldn’t stop listening. I thought the narrator did a wonderful job. Definitely worth a credit.

Simply the WORST novel I've ever read

The book massively fails on two levels. As a mystery, every surprise is predictable long before it is revealed. As romance story, the basic idea that the wife's secret plan would create a bond between her and her husband is preposterous -- her actions would doom even the most solid of marriages. On the other hand, the narrator has a nice voice -- but the radio broadcaster of the Hindenburg disaster also did a good job.