PHOTOS FOR DOWNLOAD

Photo Credit: Connie Phillips

Press Release

ADAM OF EDEN BREAKS HIS SILENCE

A new telling of an ancient Biblical narrative

Danville, IN –  Eve has just died. Adam, desiring to unburden himself, seeks out Oren of Susa, a master scribe and skeptic. Adam believes Oren has the skill to untangle the story from his memory.

In the pages of The Confessions of Adam (Bold Vision Books, ISBN 978-1946708-38-0), author David J. Marsh recasts the dramatic narrative of Genesis 2-4. Drawing on the forms in the biblical narrative and his study of the text, he has crafted a novel which vividly explores the possibilities of what the first couple may have experienced.

At his home by the sea Adam tells Oren. He speaks once and for all of what happened, unpacking the great burden of guilt and regret he carries. At first questioning the authenticity of this man and his story, Oren comes to see all he and Adam share—lost love, estranged sons, memories that must be confronted. And a Maker who knows no distance.

The elements of this universal story are all there: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the naming of the animals, the introduction of Eve to Adam, the eating of the forbidden fruit, the first murder and its aftermath—layers of story textured with surprising detail—noteworthy craft, particularly for a debut novel.

Carol Kent, speaker and author of When I Lay My Isaac Down, says, “Creative. Compassionate. Compelling. David Marsh poignantly captures the regrets and triumphs of the human condition by telling the story of Adam. If you’ve ever speculated about what it might have been like to walk and talk with God, or how long it took to name the animals, or what the first man thought when he saw the first woman, or how they handled the birth of their first child, you’ll find this book a fascinating read. It will draw you in and capture your imagination from the very beginning. When The Confessions of Adam ended, I was wishing for more.”

David J. Marsh holds a BS in Communications from Grace College, Winona Lake, IN and an MFA in Creative Writing from Butler University, Indianapolis. Dave’s work has been recognized by or appeared in Utmost, Booth Online, NoiseMedium, and Fixional. Dave facilitates the Westside Writers’ Workshop and twice monthly he posts a column on the craft of fiction called “Revel and Rant” at www.davidjmarsh.com.

Bold Vision Books is a traditional Christian book publisher located in Friendswood, Texas. Learn more about Bold Vision Books at www.boldvisionbooks.com.

Talking Points:

1. Your initial idea was to write a tragic romance based on Samson and Delilah, but you got bogged down in the research. Complaining to your wife, Cyndi, about this, she suggested Adam and Eve, “there can’t be much research there,” she said.
2. You began to study the opening narrative of Genesis through a creative lens and the beauty and drama consumed you. This novel is your creative response to these qualities and the reality of the biblical text.
3. The Hebrew of Genesis is rich and leaves narrative gaps that draw the reader in. You were interested in what may have happened in those gaps and answering them creatively––from an eye-witness perspective. You wanted to know how Adam may have explained himself.
4. A theme of the Genesis narrative and of this novel is relationship––how we were not created to do anything alone. You explore this through the relationship between Adam and Oren, the scribe; Adam and The Maker; and of course Adam and Eve.
5. Readers of The Confessions of Adam will benefit as it drives them to go back and re-read the opening chapters of Genesis––or read them for the first time. This fictional exploration challenges and deepens our perception of the biblical story.
6. Because of the biblical narrative’s universal familiarity, the novel has engaged readers from a variety of faiths and world-views. It is the story of our origins. It initiates conversations that are otherwise not easy to open.
7. Genesis is rich and textured, it has wonderful literary qualities. We are reading prose narrative when Adam meets Eve––suddenly Genesis 2.23 bursts into poetry! There is a lot of wordplay too. The biblical Hebrew vocalization of the word ‘deceived’ sounds like a hiss. Much is lost literarily in the translation to English.
8. The quest for personal identity is central in today’s culture. The Genesis narrative speaks directly to this search. We are created in the image of God. We share The Maker’s character and personality. We are the only created being for whom this is true. Genesis gives us the truth of mankind’s physical, spiritual, and emotional beginning––as well as the sources of our failure and redemption.