This was a brilliant read and a fabulous book club discussion book – we gave an average rating of four which is the highest so far for a Tea Leaves & Reads Book Club pick in 2025.
It had everything that a thriller needs with multiple perspectives, red herrings, supernatural elements (just enough), family drama, mystery and reveals. It was twisted, captivating and slow burn which just added to the suspenseful and creepy nature of the novel.
A brilliant portrayal of the strains of motherhood and the complexities of childhood, loss and relationships.
About the Book
When Eden is rescued from the lake, her mother Lucy has a second chance.
No one knows why the 14-year-old Eden almost drowned on her way home from school. But now she’s safe, Lucy can start being a good mother. The mother she should have always been, before the loss of Eden’s twin during the pregnancy consumed Lucy, all those years ago.
But when Eden wakes up in hospital, she claims that Eden isn’t her name. That her name is Eli – the name Lucy had reserved for the unborn twin.
Could it be that all this time, Lucy’s grief has been misplaced?
Eden, it seems, is the twin who’s really disappeared . . .
About The Author
Eleanor Barker-White is a family support worker at HMP Erlestoke, Wiltshire. She holds a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa, and is working on a second novel based on her experience of working with families affected by crime and criminal justice. Her first novel, My Name Was Eden, was inspired by more personal experiences: after a long ordeal with IVF Eleanor conceived twins, but due to Vanishing Twin Syndrome only one of her children survived. She was surprised to go on to have a second child naturally.
Purchase the Book
This book can be purchased in our store either on its own or in a cosy Book Box.
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