Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand: A Novel of Adam and Eve

By Gioconda Belli

“Ingenious.”

—Vogue

 

“Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand takes on nothing less than the creation myth of Western culture.”

 —Salman Rushdie

 

The winner of the prestigious 2008 Biblioteca Breve Prize—joining such renowned Latin American luminaries as Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Fuentes—acclaimed poet and novelist Gioconda Belli’s Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand is a wholly creative and original re-imagining of the story of Adam and Eve and original sin. In a brilliant translation by Margaret Sayers Peyden, this remarkable new look at the Book of Genesis will appeal to readers of the novels of Isabel Allende, Anne Rice’s Jesus Chronicles, and to all lovers of great imaginative literature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061971358

Gioconda Belli

Gioconda Belli's poetry and fiction have been published in many languages. Her first novel, The Inhabited Woman, was an international bestseller; her collection of poems, Linea de fuego, won the prestigious Casa de las Americas Prize. She lives in Santa Monica, California, and Managua, Nicaragua. Nacida en Managua, Nicaragua, Gioconda Belli es autora de una importante obra poética de reconocido prestigio internacional. Es autora de La mujer habitada, Sofía de los presagios, Waslala, El taller de las mariposas y un libro de memorias titulado El país bajo mi piel. Publicada por las editoriales más prestigiosas del mundo, Gioconda Belli vive desde 1990 entre Estados Unidos y Nicaragua.

Reviews for Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand

[kmmsb459 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an interesting, poetic novel. I really enjoyed this book.

[klburnside · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a fictional retelling of the Adam and Eve story. It begins with the creation of Adam, continues through the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden, and ends shortly after Cain kills Abel. I really enjoy novels that are twists on well known stories. The book provides an interesting perspective of God's motivation for creating the Tree of Knowledge and giving humans free will. Even outside of the context of Adam and Eve, I thought this book just provided a lot of interesting ideas about the process of becoming human and discovering how we fit in with the rest of creation. Really the author sums it up best in her introduction to the book. Sorry, this is long.

"To imagine the first man and the first woman discovering themselves and discovering life around them, to wonder what they would feel, think, and experience--about their joys and sorrows--ended up not only as a poetic, literary exercise but also a deep exploration of my own humanity, of the myths that shape us and the way we cling to them, despite all the truths science sets before us. This novel is not Creationism, it's not Darwinism. It is fiction. Fiction based in the many fictions humankind has woven around this story since time immemorial. It is a close look at the difficult and dazzling beginning of our species. A recounting of the questions Adam and Eve might have asked themselves and that are paradoxically similar to those we continue to ask ourselves many eons later."

I hesitate to say that I really liked this book, because in some ways it seems like it could be one of those books that I really liked when I read it, but in a few years, looking back, I am afraid I will think it was really cheesy and be embarrassed that I liked it so much. So that is why I didn't give it five stars. And maybe it didn't quite deserve five stars.

[wassilissa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Schönes, poetisch geschriebens Buch über die Geschichte von Adam und Eva.

[harpua_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an interesting one. A fictionalization of the Adam and Eve story, supposedly taken from various legends and other accounts of the Biblical story. What was interesting about this one was seeing the geniune discovery of ones whom everything is new to. And I mean everything, we read about various bodily functions as they are discovered, we read about the discovery of different foods, the discovery of the seasons and so much more. Typically sounds like a pretty boring book but with this in the context of Adam and Eve it makes it more interesting. Not an outstanding novel and won't be in the running for read of the year, but this makes for a quick little diversion.

[sjmccreary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is, very simply, a retelling of the Genesis creation story from Eve's perspective - although there are a few observations made by Adam, too.From a doctrinal standpoint, I don't know what to make of it. This story has the serpent very slyly convincing Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge by telling her that Elohim actually wants it to be done, so that they will have the understanding of good and evil, and history can begin. Eve is portrayed as having an insatiable curiousity, whereas Adam is content with things the way they are and is intimidated by Eve's insistence that there must be more to life than what they have inside the garden. However, once expelled from the garden, Adam adapts to their changed circumstances and works hard to make a life for them and their new family. The serpent continues to make periodic appearances, telling Eve that Elohim isn't really interested in them anymore, that He has become bored as He often does after creating a new world and has gone away to let it run itself. However, while God does not speak directly to Adam and Eve as is portrayed in Genesis, He does communicate with them. They were definitely expelled from the garden, and not permitted to return, and in fact actually witnessed the destruction of the garden when they kept trying to re-enter, but God provided them with food, and shelter once on the outside and the instincts for surviving. I came away with the feeling that, in this story, it was more than just Eve's eating the forbidden fruit which has damned humanity - it took further disobedience once outside the garden. An interesting look at a familiar story from an unusual vantage point. Since it is short and easy to read, I would recommend it to anyone with an open mind to alternatives to Genesis, although there is nothing here which contradicts the traditional Bible story.