Eve by B.K. O’Connor: A feminist Paradise Lost retelling that leaves little room for mystery

What happens when the first woman refuses to stop asking why? In Eve by B.K. O’Connor, releasing February 10, 2026, the biblical mother of humanity is reimagined through a very explicit 21st-century feminist lens, one that trades subtlety for certainty as it follows Eve’s restless journey beyond Eden and across the ancient world.

O’Connor’s novel begins close to familiar territory. The early sections largely mirror the biblical story, with one major deviation: Eve’s romantic attachment to Lucifer, who is framed not as a villain but as the first figure willing to question God’s opaque and authoritarian plan. Adam, by contrast, is portrayed as passive and incurious, content to remain in Eden forever, never wondering what lies beyond or what purpose existence might serve. Eve, meanwhile, cannot accept faith without understanding. She wants answers, not obedience.

After exile, the story expands into ancient Mesopotamia and surrounding regions, where Eve and Adam encounter human civilizations shaped by older gods and goddesses. Adam finds a kind of peace among the fields and temples, eventually taking up with another woman and settling into a life of routine. Eve does not. Motherhood and domesticity feel like a cage to her, especially as Adam roams freely while judging her choices from a safe distance. In a move that will likely divide readers, Eve ultimately leaves her children behind with their stepmother to pursue knowledge, purpose, and autonomy, a decision framed as necessary rather than selfish.

This version of Eve is unapologetically strong-willed and resistant to submission, but that framing raises an interesting problem. Traditionally, Eve’s very creation from Adam’s rib is tied to obedience, while the figure of Lilith, Adam’s first wife in Jewish mythology, is the one who leaves Eden rather than submit. O’Connor’s novel essentially transfers Lilith’s narrative arc onto Eve, which feels like a missed opportunity. Reclaiming Eve as a feminist icon is compelling, but doing so by ignoring a mythological figure whose story already embodies that resistance feels oddly redundant.

Stylistically, Eve is straightforward and highly accessible. The prose is clean and simple, and readers who struggle to identify themes will have no trouble here. The novel repeatedly explains its ideas about patriarchy, faith, power, and self-determination, often telling the reader exactly what it wants them to take away rather than allowing those insights to emerge through action or subtext. More showing and less explaining would have added depth and emotional resonance to Eve’s journey.

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Still, there is something undeniably engaging about watching Eve traverse cities, lovers, betrayals, and belief systems in her quest to understand the gods who made her and the limits of her own power. For readers drawn to mythological retellings that prioritize clarity over nuance and message over ambiguity, Eve offers a bold, if heavy-handed, exploration of what it means for a woman to hunger for knowledge in a world that insists she be satisfied with obedience.

Have you read Eve or are you planning to pick it up when it releases? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this reimagining of one of literature’s most enduring figures in the comments.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Related Content

• Eve: A novel by B.K. O’Connor book review (Birdnerdection)
• Unexpected and compelling biblical retellings (Book Riot)

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