It is a story about imperfect people doing their best to choose what is right, even when that choice is difficult.
It is about friendship, sacrifice, forgiveness, and the small acts of courage that often matter more than grand victories.
My hope isn't simply that you enjoy these pages, I hope you find someone to cheer for. I hope a conversation stays with you. I hope a quiet moment makes you pause.
If life has been especially heavy lately, I hope this story gives you a place of respite for a while before sending you back into the world with a little more hope than when you arrived.
If, somewhere along the journey, these characters begin to feel like old friends, then I will have accomplished more than I ever hoped for.
I truly hope you enjoy the journey ahead.
Until we meet again...
Stand. Even when hope does not.
Before you step into the world of Eden, I'd like to thank you.
There are more books in the world than any of us could read in a lifetime.
The fact that you've chosen to spend even a few hours with one of mine is a kindness I don't take for granted.
I've always believed stories have a quiet way of bringing people together.
A person sits down alone with a book, yet somehow ends up sharing laughter, grief, hope, and courage with someone they've never met.
I think there's something beautiful about that.
The world you're about to enter has lived with me for many years, but its heart has always remained the same.
A Letter From the Archivist
