Ruby’s sections are narrated in first person. She is a smart but poor teen working hard to earn a full scholarship to college. She befriends a Jewish boy in her neighborhood, which leads her in unexpected directions. In her author’s note, Sadeqa Johnson reveals that the friendship was inspired by her mother’s experiences shopping at Jewish-owned stores in North Philadelphia.

Eleanor’s sections are narrated in third person. She is from a working-class family in Ohio and struggles to pay her tuition. She is dismayed to discover the issue of “colorism” within the Black community when she is denied an invitation to a glamorous sorority on campus. She learns from her roommate that only lighter skinned girls are invited. Eleanor also slams into class discrimination when she starts dating a man from an elite Black community in Washington, DC.

“The House of Eve” is one character’s name for a home for unwed mothers to which pregnant young women were sent away in order to give birth secretly. They were then forced to give up their babies for adoption. These homes were common in the days before abortion. While the homes were largely for white women, the novel tells about a handful of Black women who found a sort of shelter—or prison—within one such home.

The House of Eve features a variety of mother-daughter relationships: Ruby’s mother is dismissive and distant, whereas Ruby receives more “mothering” from other female relatives such as her aunt and grandmother. Eleanor’s hard-working mother is not present for much of the novel, but Eleanor benefits from mothering in the form of mentorship from her boss at the library where she works. Wealthy, classist, narrow-minded mothers are also portrayed with a bit of sympathy and nuance.               

The House of Eve is a satisfying and interesting read. Sadeqa Johnson has also written another historical novel, Yellow Wife. The author photo above is from Sadeqa Johnson’s website.