Book review: Eden by Mark Brandi

I must confess I had no idea that Eden by Mark Brandi was a follow-on from his 2017 award-winning novel Wimmera. I recognised the name when it was mentioned in the novel but hadn’t remembered the plot of the book so ‘Tom’ (and the crime for which he was imprisoned) wasn’t familiar at all when I launched into this. It didn’t matter but I did wonder if I might have engaged a little more with him had I remembered our previous outing. I certainly liked him – though he was frustrating and the direction he was heading was akin to the proverbial train wreck looming in slow motion.

Cities are tough when you've grown up as a country kid. They're even tougher after nine years inside. Tom Blackburn is fresh out of jail and not sure where his future lies. He knows what he wants. But he's pretty sure she doesn't want him.

Tom's left his old life and his old name behind. But his options aren't great. He knows sleeping on the streets is the quickest way back to a cell. And then, his luck turns around. A chance encounter leads to a job and somewhere to stay. A place in the dead centre of Melbourne. Eden, his new boss calls it.

Honest, physical work. Bit of gardening, bit of gravedigging, bit of whatever he's told to do. Fresh air, currawongs, a bed and some peace and quiet. It's the perfect place to save some money and make some plans. A place to keep his head down and stay out of trouble.

But trouble finds him. Serious trouble. He's missed the signs, again. Going back to jail might be the safest option. Unless he can figure some way out of the danger he's in . .

Brandi’s character development is great, so much so that I almost felt like I was there watching this play out. You cannot help but feel for Tom, trying to navigate life outside of prison, keen to do the right thing when he’s robbed and screwed over big-time soon after release. There’s a sense he falls on his feet however when he’s found sleeping rough at the cemetery by gravediggers Cyril and offsider Seamus who take him under their wing.

Tom has little choice and for a while we’re grateful. At the same time I wanted to slap him around the head for his constant calls to his ex-girlfriend who’s with someone else and living interstate. I was really invested in Tom’s story but there’s a sense of menace simmering away. We know that Cyril and Seamus are up to no good or got some not-entirely-legal side gigs, but Brandi takes this in a direction that I certainly didn’t see coming.

Wimmera leapt about in time a little, as did his 2021 novel The Others (which I ADORED!) though we only dip briefly into the past here, being reminded of the childhood friendship that saw Tom imprisoned.

Once I realised this was ostensibly the second book in the series I went back to my review on Wimmera and noted that I’d made some comments about the book’s conclusion and I probably felt a little the same here. I was quite deeply buried in this story but we rushed to a climax and—though it wasn’t as nebulous (from my point-of-view) as Wimmera—it certainly didn’t necessarily offer readers complete closure. Although maybe that means there’ll be more from Tom / Fab.

Eden by Mark Brandi was published in Australia by Hachette.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.