Turning Toward Eden
Young Adult Mystery/General Fiction: Coming of Age, Historical Mystery, Literary
Setting – California 1971
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Winged Publications
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 6, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages

Synopsis

“Chasing the truth, huh? Sure you’re not running from it?” Hollis might be her only friend, a lanky boy Mama calls her “beau,” but Eden Lewis has no time for his hogwash. She’s got a mystery to crack. For most fourteen-year-olds, California summers in the early 1970s mean sun and surf, despite the Cold War chill. Not for Eden. Her AWOL father has sent her life into a tailspin, landing her in a shabby beach town, stuck caring for her severely disabled brother. Caught in her parents’ own cold war, Eden ditches Dex at every chance—pier fishing with Hollis, playing poker with the grizzled card sharks, and caterwaulin’ in the church choir, laying plain to the Almighty that singing terms ain’t the same as speaking terms, what with the hand he’s dealt her.

Then Raven arrives mid-ninth grade—an elusive Soviet girl rumored to rain black-winged curses over the fearful town. When a rash of petty crimes escalates to bloodshed on the beach, suspicion falls on the “commie”—and then Eden. Desperate to prove herself innocent, and Raven guilty, she embarks on a reckless game of chase. But for the truth to set her free, she must risk Dex’s life. Will she go all in, no matter the cost?

An evocative story laced with mystery, Turning Toward Eden weaves nostalgia with grit, sorrow with humor, and despair with faith, offering hope to anyone who has sought to belong in a world that rarely plays fair.

“This is storytelling at its most atmospheric—brimming with quirky, well-drawn characters, razor-sharp prose, and the kind of setting you can almost smell. The writing is lyrical, grounded, and often laugh-out-loud funny—even in the midst of deeply poignant moments. With a cast of endearing misfits and a tone reminiscent of Southern Gothic charm, this story lures you in from the very first line and doesn’t let go. Cate Touryan has a truly original voice, a rare gift for language, and a special ability to render a world so vivid you feel baptized in it.” — Zena Dell Lowe, Screenwriter, Story Coach, and Founder of The Storyteller’s Mission

Audiobook Coming Soon!
The audiobook edition of Turning Toward Eden is in production and on its way to Audible, iTunes, and beyond. Stay tuned for a richly narrated experience, perfect for readers who love stories on the go.

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Quote from the Book

• There was still a chance I could make it to Cappy’s, catch the last few rounds, spring a trick or two on Jake, courtesy of my father. Wouldn’t that be a hoot. Even as I was takin’ a shine to the idea, I was onto myself. Sometimes the only way to endure a bad situation is to count your chickens before they hatch.

• Duty was about the ugliest four-letter word I’d ever heard, a mess of worry I didn’t have time for, and she must have seen it on my face, because she’d looked hard at me and said, “Duty is an act of love, Eden Mae.”

• On the rare occasion when I struck a truce with God, and that seemed less and less lately, Mama’s words filled my heart with pride—and not a little consternation that, accordin’ to the Good Book, the proud of heart will not go unpunished. Mostly though, I grumbled at the weight of my halo and wondered at the fairness of God, how it was that he made me a gift but Dex a burden.

About the Author

Cate Touryan writes fiction and creative nonfiction that reach for the story beyond the story and the beginning beyond “The End.” Her complex, realistic narratives often touch on themes of faith. While she avoids gratuitous violence and profanity, keeping any romance clean, she does not shy away from portraying the grit and beauty of real life, instead writing the truest story she can, infused with heart and humor. Her fiction will delight young adults and adults still young.

Cate invites you to journey with her into lives both real and imagined, wherein might lie glimpses of your own story beyond the story and an ending redeemed.

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