Eden is ready for a new start, putting the past behind her. But others have their own ideas of what’s best for her. What Eden Did Next is the heart-breaking, life-affirming and unforgettable new novel from Sheila O’Flanagan.
Five years after the death of her firefighter husband, Eden knows better than anyone that life can change in an instant. Now, instead of the future she had planned with Andy, she has Lila – the daughter he never got the chance to meet. And instead of Andy, she has his family. Then Eden meets someone. Someone she knew before Andy, before Lila, before the tragedy. But Andy’s mother has other plans and Eden is facing an impossible choice that could tear a family apart…
Honest and emotionally gripping, What Eden Did Next is an irresistible, sometimes heart-breaking, ultimately joyful novel of love, loss and finding your own way to happiness.
This is bestselling Irish author Sheila O’Flanagan’s thirtieth novel – a remarkable achievement. Since publishing her debut Dreaming of a Stranger (1997), she has become a household name and sold over 8 million copies of her books, including bestsellers Three Weddings and a Proposal, The Women Who Ran Away and Her Husband’s Mistake. Her novels are beloved for their warm characters, beautiful Irish settings and moving storylines. What Eden Did Next absolutely ticks all these boxes.
Grief is a significant theme in this novel, as Eden deals with the ongoing emotional upheaval caused by her husband’s sudden death five earlier, just before their daughter was born. The letters Eden writes to her husband will pull at any reader’s heartstrings. Her internal struggle to move on and allow herself to find new love is sensitively told, as is her journey as a single mother. Despite its big themes, O’Flanagan imbues the story with a light-hearted touch. The neighbourhood WhatsApp group that loves to gossip and speculate over people’s love lives is particularly entertaining.
O’Flanagan’s much-loved Irish settings are sure to delight both new and long-time fans, as well as lovers of other Irish writers like Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes. With this latest novel, O’Flanagan has once again shown that she is a queen of heart-warming women’s fiction.
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