The Book of Eve - by Carmen Boullosa (Paperback)

About the Book

"What if everything they've told us about the Garden of Eden was wrong? Faced with what appears to be an apocryphal manuscript containing ten books and ninety-one chapters, Eve decides to tell her version of the story of Genesis: she was not created from Adam's rib, nor was she expelled for taking the apple from the serpent; the story of Abel and Cain isn't true, neither are those of the Flood and the Tower of Babel."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A brilliant, feminist twist on the Book of Genesis from Carmen Boullosa.

What if everything they've told us about the Garden of Eden was wrong? Faced with what appears to be an apocryphal manuscript containing ten books and ninety-one parts, Eve decides to tell her version of the story of Genesis: she was not created from Adam's rib, nor was she expelled for taking the apple from the serpent; the story of Abel and Cain isn't true, neither are those of the Flood and the Tower of Babel...

In brilliant prose, Carmen Boullosa offers a take on the Book of Genesis that dismantles patriarchy and rebuilds our understanding of the world--from the origin of gastronomy, to the domestication of animals, to the cultivation of land and pleasure--all through the feminine gaze. Based on this exploration, at times both joyful and painful, The Book of Eve takes a tour through the stories we've been told since childhood, which have helped to foster (and cement) the absurd idea that woman is the companion, complement, and even accessory to man, opening the door to criminal violence against women. Boullosa refutes this entrenched, dangerous perspective in her foundational and brazen feminist novel.

Review Quotes

"In this feminist novel, we experience the tale of Genesis through Eve's eyes. She refutes the stories we have grown up with and gives her own version, redefining our perception of the world through the previously unheard voice of one of the most important female characters in Western culture." --Words Without Borders

About the Author

Carmen Boullosa is one of Mexico's leading novelists, poets, and playwrights. She has published over a dozen novels, three of which have been published by Deep Vellum in English translation. Boullosa has received numerous prizes and honors, including a Guggenheim fellowship. Also a poet, playwright, essayist, and cultural critic, Boullosa is a Distinguished Lecturer at City College of New York, and her books have been translated into Italian, Dutch, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Russian. Other novels translated into English include Before (tr. Peter Bush, Deep Vellum, 2016), Heavens On Earth (tr. Shelby Vincent, Deep Vellum, 2017) and The Book of Anna (tr. Samantha Schnee, Coffee House Press, 2020).

Samantha Schnee is the founding editor of Words Without Borders. Her translation of Boullosa's Texas: The Great Theft was shortlisted for the PEN America Translation Prize. She lives in Houston, Texas.