What Eden Did Next By Sheila O’Flanagan

‘What Eden Did Next’ is the latest book by 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. Someone who reminds her of how she used to be. But Andy’s mother has other plans. And Eden is facing an impossible choice. One that could tear a family apart.

Sheila is returning to our bookshelves with her 30th book, a story of love, loss and new beginnings.

The story is seen primarily through the narrative of Eden, a single mother and widow to Lila, who’s never got over the sudden loss of her husband Andy and writes to him regularly regaling him with stories of her day. Originally an A&E nurse, Eden is now a carer and looks after Elizabeth, an elderly woman who was injured when she was mugged. She spends her day watching the world go by in Sycamore Grove and the latest resident Rafe and his daughter Poppy catch her eye. When Eden meets Rafe, she’s delighted to discover that he’s actually her childhood best friend who she hasn’t seen she was 10 years old. The pair of them embark on a new relationship, bonding over a mutual loss, both grieving over the loss of their partners.

This is another lovely story from one of Ireland’s most loved authors. The story is beautifully written and is packed with her Irish charm and wit with relatable characters dealing with life. Eden is a sweet character with a huge heart and it’s lovely to join her as she progresses in the story, learning to manage her grief, moving on as well as using her hobbies to open new doors and opportunities. She’s been dealt a hard hand having lost both her parents as well as her husband. I really enjoyed her interactions with Rafe as they reflected on their childhood together.

The close knit community of Sycamore Grove make for entertaining reading as they all keep an eye on the new widower to the area. The women all bringing food and checking up on him, it was amusing and interesting to see how society reacts to a young widower with a little girl, all vying for his attention. One character that made for particularly fun reading was Elizabeth who Eden cared for. Restricted to her house, she spends her time watching the world go by and never misses a thing.

Packed with warmth, love and hope, ‘What Eden Did Next’ is another lovely story from Sheila that was a joy to curl up with.

You can buy ‘What Eden Did Next’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.