Jeffrey Archer dies at 86. How his final novel Adam & Eve was inspired by wife Mary

Renowned British author Jeffrey Archer passed away on October 5. He was 86. Archer was a politician who briefly served as a lawmaker before becoming a senior party official under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the mid-1980s. The news of his demise was shared by publisher HarperCollins. As per reports, he died ‘suddenly and peacefully at home,’ but the cause of his death has not been disclosed yet. Archer, sadly, breathed his last before the release of his final novel Adam & Eve on October 6. The book was inspired by his wife, scientist Dame Mary.

All about Jeffrey Archer’s final book

For the unversed, Jeffrey Archer rose to fame after his first book, Kane and Abel, came out in 1979. According to People magazine, the book sold as many as 275 million copies around the world. Now, almost 50 years later, Archer’s last novel also has Biblical connotations.

Adam & Eve is a family history drama which follows the story of a young English woman living in the countryside. She falls in love with a humble shepherd’s son, who was born on the same day during wartime Britain. The duo’s love story weaves through war, touching on themes of female empowerment, love across classes and politics.

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Jeffrey Archer on how his wife inspired the book

Jeffrey Archer, in a conversation with People magazine, revealed that Adam & Eve’s female protagonist is a woman who leads her life in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in real-world Britain in the 1930s. The protagonist was inspired by Archer’s wife, whom the late novelist called a ‘strong woman’.

‘She was the first woman chairman of a national gallery or museum, the science museum. She ought to have been the 20th. Not the first,’ noted Jeffrey Archer, adding that he has always joked to his wife that if she had been born in the 1930s, she would have no other choice than to become a housewife.

Jeffrey Archer’s final words before book release

Through the book, Jeffrey Archer wanted to highlight that if women were given opportunities back at that time, they would also have been leading businesses and holding positions of power.

When asked about whether Adam & Eve was his best book, Jeffrey Archer had an honest answer. ‘When I finished, I said to my publisher, ‘I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’ But doesn’t every author think the last book they wrote is the best thing they’ve ever done?’ asked the novelist, adding that he was actually very nervous.

Jeffrey Archer is survived by his wife, Dame, 81 and their 2 sons, William and James.