Beneath the Trees of Eden

by Tim Binding

An English Western inspired by William Faulkner, Beneath the Trees of Eden is Tim Binding's masterpiece: a visionary depiction of England at the twilight of a rebellious era, told through the story of a renegade couple as they travel across the country's motorways.

'A glorious road-trip of novel, with an exquisite love story at its heart' Louise Kennedy

Alice is just twenty when she becomes involved with Louis, a brooding, older man who has spent his life building some of the first motorways to stretch across the landscapes of England. With a child on the way, the couple set off on the road together, determined to carve out a life for themselves off the beaten track.

But as their son grows older, he begins to question his parents’ philosophy and the sacrifices they make in order to live on their own terms. Caught between the draw of the past and a dream of new community, their fates are transformed by chance encounters, patterns unfolding like lines across a map.

Told in searing, lyrical prose, Beneath the Trees of Eden is a powerful rumination on the possibility for salvation, the people and places we find ourselves tethered to, and the things that get left behind.

Hardcover

Published August 20, 2020

About the author

Novelist Tim Binding was born in Germany in 1947. A former editor at Penguin Books in London, he is a part-time commissioning editor at London publishers Simon & Schuster. He is the author of the novels, In the Kingdom of Air (1993), A Perfect Execution (1996) (shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize), Island Madness (1998), set on Guernsey during the Second World War, and Man Overboard (2005).

He co-wrote a comedy drama series for BBC television in 1998, entitled The Last Salute, working with Simon Nye, creator of the Men Behaving Badly comedy series. On Ilkley Moor: The Story of an English Town (2001), is a memoir and history of the area where he grew up. Anthem, a moving and entertaining story of the horror of war and its consequences, was published in 2003. His latest novel is Sylvie and the Songman (2008) and is illustrated by Angela Barrett.


Tim Binding lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.

Reviews

[Collette Mcgaahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very different sort of book but I found it to be rather depressing. I couldn’t work up any interest in the constant moving on and it seemed so far removed from how I would chose to live I ended up disliking both of the main adult characters. I can see where the historical background might hold your interest so it will be popular with other readers but not me this time.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beginning in 1967, this is the story of Alice and Louis, free spirits who travel the length and breadth of the country. They have no wish to stay in one place, enjoying their freedom and are not weighed down by possessions. They are on the fringes of society but in their own way they have a code of responsibility that they live by. But then their son, Chester, is born and they have to reconsider their lifestyle for a while.
The story is told from the perspective of all three characters and is an interesting social history of England in the 1970s and 1980s. The miners' strike and the foot and mouth epidemic forming a backdrop to their stories.
The writing is very lyrical and the background is well-researched. Unfortunately, I found the characters unappealing in their selfishness. In addition, the plot is minimal, with more emphasis on the themes. It was easy to read but wasn't really to my taste.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.

[Alison Sinclair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed reading this book. I kind of read it as a road trip novel and with 3 decades of social history forming the backdrop it was definitely an interesting read, particularly as I recognised some of the events from the first time round - like the first speed camera and when the channel tunnel was built.

In saying this, I did get to a point where I lost sympathy for the main protagonists - after a certain point I just started to feel that their life choices were bizarre and selfish. The characters definitely weren't written sympathetically which is a bit of a shame as it definitely lessened the impact.