The Edge of Heaven
by Marita Golden

List Price: $12.95
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0345431723
Publisher: One World/Ballantine

In The Edge of Heaven, Marita Golden has fashioned a deceptively simple story of a family whose lives have been shattered by a single moment of angry carelessness--told through the eyes of Teresa Singletary, a twenty-year-old college student with an overwhelming emotional burden; her father, Ryland; and her mother, Lena, whose return to her own mother's home has precipitated a reckoning with Teresa. Together they all struggle to find a place to re-learn each other--somewhere that transcends the painful reality etched into their souls--only to discover that even the darkest tragedy is rivaled by love's transforming light.

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1. How important is the author's choice to use the three generations of women--Ma Adele, Lena, Teresa, and Kenya--as the focal point in The Edge of Heaven? In what ways are these individuals similar yet different? And how does that impact on the outcome of the story?

2. Usually an author explains all of the details of a crime at the very start of a novel, but that is not done here. Instead, the reader is given the details of the incident in fragments, in flashbacks that interrupt the ongoing action of the book. Does this approach weaken or strengthen the power of the novel? Does it allow the author to flesh out the characters and their actions at the expense of the overall plot?

3. The older daughter, Teresa, who is often the conscience of the novel, sets the tone for the entire book by addressing its key themes in the opening lines of The Edge of Heaven: "My mother returned that summer from an exile both imposed and earned. Nothing had prepared me for her departure. I was unsure how to claim her homecoming. But I share her talent for perseverance, for we are joined by more than I can bear. My mother came back to recognition and reckoning. I thought she came home to me." Discuss the importance of these words and how they set the stage for all that occurs afterward in the novel.

4. Kenya, the younger daughter, is the pivotal character in this domestic tragedy, offering a metaphorical mirror in which the actions of those around her are viewed. How might her strong personality factor into her death?

5. The author makes several insightful comments about the awesome responsibility of parenthood. What is she saying with Lena's statement to her husband: "Are we good enough? As people, as a couple?" Is this doubt and insecurity concerning mastering the task of parenthood common? Do Lena and Ryland have reason to fear their parenting skills?

6. The fate of Lena in her marriage is one shared by many women in our society, especially when passion and communication are no longer present. The author aptly describes their situation: "But living within the borders of her marriage, Lena knew three things, that she loved Ryland, that he had failed her, and that she would not leave him." Is their union worth preserving? Are the measures they take to save their marriage effective or is it beyond repair?

7. Some critics have questioned the author's depiction of the incident which takes Kenya's life. Is there a reason for how the child's death is presented in an almost ambiguous manner? Are we sure that Lena intended to kill her child? Was it murder or an unfortunate accident?

8. Ryland, the father and husband, is portrayed with fairness and realism, unlike many African American men in recent black novels. What role does he play in the untimely death of his child? Should he blame himself for what happened to Kenya?

9. In the key scenes following Kenya's death, Teresa cares for her emotionally numb mother in a reversal of familial roles. How do these scenes reflect the healing power of love within the family? Is the lack of anger and bitterness in the scenes accurate?

10. What effect does the imprisonment of Lena have on her daughter Teresa? Does the nature of the crime that led to her mother's incarceration change her affection for her mother? What emotional adjustments does Teresa make to cope with her mother's return?

11. How does Ma Adele attempt to relate to her daughter after her crime? Upon review, discuss how her reaction to Lena's behavior and failed marriage show the contrast between these two women from two different generations.

12. What is the author emphasizing when she recounts Lena's words about her fellow female inmates: "They weren't so different from me. And in many ways, I was like them. They were individuals, not numbers. That's how I became their friend." What is the author saying about women in prison and the families they leave behind in the outside world?

13. The memory of Kenya's death disrupts the lives of all who survive her. What psychological damage occurs within each family member? How is Lena's response to the loss different from the others'?

14. Ryland's passion for his art is significant and has cost him a great deal. How does he use it to heal himself after Kenya's death, rather than reaching out to others for comfort and solace? Why is his art so important in his honoring of his daughter's memory? What role did his art play in the erosion of love in his marriage?

15. In The Edge of Heaven, Metropolitan Baptist Church becomes a haven for Lena when she seeks to find a way toward personal redemption after her release. Is the author's depiction of the woman's acceptance by the congregation an honest one, considering the conservative nature of the black church? What is symbolic about Lena seeking forgiveness at the church where her daughter's funeral was held?

16. Kenya, in many ways, seems to be a reflection of her father, especially in her love of art. Is this likeness a major reason for her mother's animosity toward her? Does this resemblance in Kenya's temperament contribute to her death?

17. Teresa's love and loyalty for her mother begins the family's quest for healing and forgiveness. The author's gift for language shines in Teresa's words about her mother: "I slept beside my mother at night on Sycamore Street, trying my father's place, loyal, loving, needing her despite everything. I lay next to my mother and listen to her sleep, partial, nightmarish, my sister's name breaking through her sobs. And as terrible as it was, there was no other place for me. She was my mother. I knew they would take her away from me. We would all pay for what she had done." What do these words suggest about the daughter's love for her mother? And what do they say about the emotional cost of the crime on the family as a whole?

18. Upon her release from prison, Lena confronts the tremendous struggle to re-integrate herself into her family and community. Which scenes reveal how difficult this goal will be? In reality, would an African American family be so forgiving of a mother convicted of such an unspeakable crime?

19. Reviewers have cited the author's exceptional ability to examine family relationships and the psychological depths that move her stories "beyond race and the confines of the black community." What scenes in this novel best exhibit her skill in this area? What elements of The Edge of Heaven make it of universal interest?

20. Redemption, forgiveness, and renewal are never easily achieved. At what point in The Edge of Heaven can readers begin to hope that Lena's family will survive this terrible ordeal? What images and metaphors does the author use to indicate this possibility?  

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"Marita Golden begins The Edge of Heaven after the tragedy, giving us hints of how it occurred through the unfolding of the story. And though we realize what happened before she lets us know the details, we remain enthralled in the telling. Perhaps that's because even those of us in the most imperfect of families worry we could lose what holds us together through a single event. But The Edge of Heaven offers redemption, showing that tragedy doesn't have to ruin us forever. After the worst thing in your life happens, there is always time left to find peace. "

——Detroit Free Press

"In the sensitive hands of Golden, this is more than just a story about disappointment and loss. The Edge of Heaven chronicles the passion of a young couple, the powerful relationship of two sisters, and the bliss of simple moments shared by a loving family. Yet such moments of calm and perfection are fleeting in any family's existence, and it is the love that remains that is the true redemptive force of this breathtakingly beautiful novel. An emotional tour de force . . . an awe-inspiring tribute to the power of the American family. "

——Dallas Texas Weekly

"The Edge of Heaven is a fresh, original book. Golden depicts relationships and emotions with a keen eye. Her characters speak and act realistically--a welcome change in this genre. . . . When readers finally arrive at the inevitable depiction of the tragedy at the heart of Lena's story, they can be assured that they are in the hands of a writer who understands the intense feelings on display here. Golden goes for the emotional jugular with such skill and intelligence that it's likely even the most jaded reader will be won over. "

——Time Out New York

"In novels like And Do Remember Me . . . Golden has vividly captured aspects of the experience of race in the U.S. in the late twentieth century. Three generations of women occupy the center of The Edge of Heaven, which opens as Lena, Ma Edele's daughter and Teresa's mother, comes home from prison. . . . Golden skillfully displays the contradictory emotions they experience as they are reunited and slowly grant the reader glimpses of the past that explains those emotions. "

——Booklist

"Readers will be thoroughly thrilled with Golden's new novel, which compassionately peels away the layers of a family's grief to reveal one woman's passage from repentance to renewal. Three generations of women struggle with the devastation of loss and the journey back to love as they head for a precarious reunion in contemporary Washington, D.C. . . . These vividly rendered characters come to life, leaving the reader to cheer their strength and humanity. Highly recommended. "

——Library Journal

"An acclaimed chronicler of black women's lives (And Do Remember Me, 1992, etc.) shows what happens when a good marriage goes bad. Set in the sophisticated milieu of black professionals living in Washington, the story is told by Teresa and her parents, Lena and Ryland. . . . Before everything went wrong, her mother had been someone to admire: a successful accountant in a top firm and a loving mother and wife. . . . [As] Golden persuades us, these women can be strong on their own terms. Emotions run high--the plights of black (and white) women let down by men and the world are sharply etched--but telling insights often soften the rage and give it balance. For Lena and Teresa alike, life will go on. Golden, in her fourth novel, is writing in top form. "

——Kirkus Reviews

"Golden has a rare gift for the poetry of language. As in her previous novels, in particular And Do Remember Me, the unexpected metaphors and marvelous images of The Edge of Heaven powerfully evoke the pull her characters fell between commitment to family and self. . . . Golden's touching story of three fierce, passionate people stumbling toward understanding, forgiveness and resolution is a triumphant journey from grief to renewed hope. "

——San Francisco Tribune

"Fiercely intelligent, brimming with ethical questions, never overtly political, the novels of Marita Golden have an old-fashioned earnestness about them. . . . This is a powerful story, which Golden tells with great sensitivity and respect for her characters. . . . In a departure from her previous novels, Lena's troubles can be traced not to oppression by the white world but to her eager participation in that world. In enjoying the fruits of inclusion in white corporate America, she also paid a grievous price in the destruction of her marriage and her daughter's death. . . . Golden seems to be suggesting that the Singletarys' tragedy is colorblind and could just as easily have befallen other families, black and white. "

——Washington Post Book World