Eden West

Pete Hautman's "Eden West" is a thought-provoking young adult novel for ages 12-18 that delves into themes of faith, doubt, and personal transformation. It follows Jacob, a 17-year-old living in Nodd, an isolated, fence-enclosed cult community that believes the outside "World" is wicked and doomed. As the "End Days" approach, Jacob's worldview is challenged by external influences, including a new arrival from outside and a girl named Lynna who introduces him to forbidden pleasures. The story explores Jacob's internal struggle as he grapples with his upbringing, his burgeoning feelings for Lynna, and the unsettling possibility that everything he believes might be a lie, ultimately highlighting the resilience of the human spirit.

Tackling faith, doubt, and transformation, National Book Award winner Pete Hautman explores a boy’s unraveling allegiance to an insular cult. Twelve square miles of paradise, surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence: this is Nodd, the land of the Grace. It is all seventeen-year-old Jacob knows. Beyond the fence lies the World, a wicked, terrible place, doomed to destruction. When the Archangel Zerachiel descends from Heaven, only the Grace will be spared the horrors of the Apocalypse. But something is rotten in paradise. A wolf invades Nodd, slaughtering the Grace’s sheep. A new boy arrives from outside, and his scorn and disdain threaten to tarnish Jacob’s contentment. Then, while patrolling the borders of Nodd, Jacob meets Lynna, a girl from the adjoining ranch, who tempts him to sample the forbidden Worldly pleasures that lie beyond the fence. Jacob’s faith, his devotion, and his grip on reality are tested as his feelings for Lynna blossom into something greater and the End Days grow ever closer. Eden West is the story of two worlds, two hearts, the power of faith, and the resilience of the human spirit.