Summary

An adaptation of Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Garden of Eden, which was published posthumously in 1986 to great success. The novel remains one of the author’s most debated novels and is considered a departure from Hemingway’s usual work as it is widely accepted the novel is far more reflective of his personal life, perhaps even semi-autobiographical. The fact the book was not published until after Hemingway’s suicide has sparked debate as to whether the erotic nature of it was such that he never wished it published at all. Set in the jazz age of the 1920s, the story follows a successful young American writer, David Bourne (Jack Huston), and his beautiful wife, Catherine (Mena Suvari), on their extended honeymoon in Europe. Catherine soon becomes restless and starts to test her husband’s devotion, pushing him to the limits of her erotic imagination and luring a sultry Italian girl Marita (Caterina Murino) into their inner circle. With the stakes continually ratcheting higher, the events that follow change their lives forever.