The Garden of Eden is a novel by American author Ernest Hemingway, who is regarded as one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Hemingway had worked on the novel for 15 years at the time of his death in 1961. It was published posthumously in 1986. Though controversial, the novel has been heralded as an important example of Hemingway’s work and was adapted into a film of the same name in 2008. This guide uses an eBook version of the 2003 Scribner edition.

Plot Summary

David and Catherine Bourne are a recently married couple. David is an American writer, and Catherine is the daughter of a wealthy British family. David and Catherine visit the south of France on their honeymoon. The places they visit are typically free of tourists as this is the off-season.

The novel begins several weeks into the honeymoon. David and Catherine spend their days drinking alcohol, swimming nude in a private cove near their hotel, and driving to nearby towns and cities. One day, Catherine leaves the hotel telling David that she will return with a surprise. She returns with her hair cut short. Later, as they lay in bed, Catherine asks David not to refer to her as a girl. She tells him that–at night or in certain circumstances–she will be a boy. And she asks him to love her as she is. David plays along with his wife’s new role. He does not challenge her and assumes that she is just going through a phase. Later, Catherine has her hair cut even shorter. She asks David to accompany her to the hairdressers, where she convinces him to have his hair cut and bleached in the same style so that they have matching appearances.

The couple leaves France and travels to Spain. While they travel, David receives news that his recently published novel has been a great success. He calculates how much money he stands to make and reads the positive reviews forwarded to him by his publisher. Catherine is happy for David, but she reacts strangely to the reviews. She seems jealous and chides David for reading them, causing an argument. David begins working on a new writing project focusing on his experiences with Catherine in recent months. This project is meant to be read only by them.

David and Catherine return to the hotel in the south of France where they are the only guests. They rent three rooms. They sleep in one room, and David uses another to write. One day, they visit a café and see two women arguing. One of the women then approaches and introduces herself as Marita, apologizing for causing a scene. A few days later, Catherine sees Marita in the town. Without asking David, she invites Marita to stay in the third room, and Marita accepts. Catherine admits to David that she is attracted to Marita. and David says that he is also attracted to her. Catherine says that she wants to continue challenging traditional ideas of gender. For her, this includes exploring her sexuality. She sleeps with Marita and encourages David to do the same.

David’s feelings about his wife’s new behavior begin to metastasize into anger. He argues with her and treats Marita coldly. He eventually has sex with Marita, however, and cannot help but admit that he is attracted to her. Catherine reacts to David and Marita’s burgeoning relationship with equal parts delight and envy. Sometimes, she praises David for being with Marita, who she refers to as his second wife. Other times, she insults and demeans David. She also resents David for working on short stories about his father. She wants him to work only on the narrative of their relationship.

David is pleased with the results of his recent writing. His stories about his father are some of the best he has produced, he believes. Marita reads the stories and praises David’s writing. Catherine criticizes the stories, however, and says that David is wasting time that could be spent on their narrative. David resents being told what to write. When he finally tells Catherine that he is tired of her interference, she seems to apologize. After a trip to the beach, however, Catherine admits to David that she burned all his writing except for the narrative about their relationship. David is concerned about her mental health and suggests that she visit a doctor, but Catherine refuses. She plans to drive to Paris to consult artists to provide work for their narrative. David tells Catherine that he regrets having married her. Catherine makes plans for her departure, which include paying David for the short stories she burned. David and Marita go to the café where they met. By the time they return, Catherine is gone. She left a note saying that she still loves David and plans to return. David ignores the note and settles into a new life with Marita. He begins writing again.