Bitter Eden: A Novel
As Bitter Eden opens, Sergeant Tom Smith and his fellow soldiers are being captured by the Italian army. What follows is a deeply personal narrative of Tom’s experiences of life in a prison camp. Told entirely from his perspective, the novel focuses on the physical and emotional life of the captives. For Tom and his fellow inmates Douglas and Danny, squalor, boredom, pettiness, fear, and hunger fill their days. The extreme stress of internment coupled with living in very close quarters creates new and surprising relationships between the men, including an unexpected level of intimacy. The line separating friendship and sexual feelings becomes blurred, with confusing and often painful consequences. Afrika explores these relationships in depth, creating a remarkably honest and moving book. Originally published shortly after the author’s death in 2002 and based on his experiences as a POW in WWII, Bitter Eden is a beautifully crafted, absorbing read, a careful examination of human relationships, and a rare glimpse into the complexities of life in wartime. --Carol Gladstein