As young children who had clamoured down caves and followed
the footsteps of Eve's geologist father, both Eve Swango
and Tommy Baca developed a fascination and respect for the
joys of caving. While they both loved living at the Viento
Constante in New Mexico which Eve's father had bought to be
near interesting caves to explore and his college teaching
position; his wife, a former B level movie star and Eve's
older half-sister, Cimarron, a beautiful and exotic looking
model, were not so equally enamoured. Feeling the brunt of
their dysfunctional coping mechanisms, Eve often went off
exploring on her own to get away from Cimarron's spite and
the embarrassment of her mother's drinking and love of
watching herself in old movies.
Tommy always looked out for Eve and the two childhood
friends became as close as can be without being lovers and
then one fateful day, they do become lovers. But,
intertwined with their love is their love for a new cave
that was only known to them. As life experiences make
things more complex for the lovers and untold secrets form
bigger barriers than what they encounter in their
explorations, Eve feels that while she can never marry
Tommy, she can't let him out of her heart. She never
really knows - does he love her or is he only interested in
the cave on the Swango land?
Margot Early is a gifted storyteller and has done a superb
job in researching the caving culture and the people drawn
to this risky, yet rewarding lifestyle. All her
characters, both major and secondary, are so believable in
their descriptions and actions, despite their uniqueness
and diverse lifestyles. As the story is told from the
different characters' viewpoints, their complexities are
understood and you are quickly drawn into this morass of
conflicted emotions. For myself, I would get so frustrated
with Eve or Tom on occasion and with some of the
dysfunctional nature of their situations, I just wanted to
slam the book down. Then, just as quickly, picking it up
again just to find out how things were resolved. While I
can't guarantee you will always find this an enjoyable
read, you certainly will be intrigued by this tale of
everlasting love.
Eve Swango and Tommy Baca belong to each other. Always
have. Always will.
It's been years since Eve followed Tommy into the wild,
subterranean depths of a New Mexico cave. Years since she
realized they shared the same passionate soul, the same
curiosity about that hidden world below. Tommy, intense,
beautiful—hers—became her past, her present and her future.
But something within Eve won't allow her to marry Tommy, no
matter how often he asks. No matter how deeply they love…
As the years surrender to time, Tommy and Eve move in and
out of each other's lives, finding joy and sadness in equal
measure. Each must learn, does learn, that love comes in
many guises—and in the end it's the only thing that counts.