THE GARDEN
NICK NEWMAN
*****
In a place and time unknown, two elderly sisters live in a walled garden, secluded from the outside world. For as long as they can remember, Evelyn and Lily have only had each other. What was before the garden, they have forgotten; what lies beyond it, they do not know.
Each day is spent in languid service to their home: tending the bees, planting the crops, and dutifully following the instructions of the almanac written by their mother. So, when a nameless boy is found hiding in the boarded house at the centre of this new Eden, the reality of their existence is irrevocably shattered. Who is he? And where did he come from?
MY REVIEW
*****
I have a soft spot for dystopian slow-build thrillers and the blurb for The Garden really hit the mark for me – I was excited to request to read it!
Evelyn and Lily live in a small part of their crumbling mansion, with access to their beautiful walled garden. They live off the land and have each other, and as far as they are aware, they are completely alone in the world. However, when a young boy is found hiding in their sanctuary, a lot of questions are about to be asked which may change the world as they know it forever…
I absolutely adored this book; it slowly creeps in and grips you from the inside out. The story is told through present day narration from Evelyn and interspersed with memories from her childhood, when an event occurred which brought about the end of their family’s interaction with the wider world. As a reader we are desperate to know what has happened and why the sisters are living as they are, and this information is drip-fed to us slowly in a brilliantly paced way which kept me gripped.
It really is one of those books I don’t want to give too much away whilst writing my review and just urge you to read it and see what I mean. Evelyn and Lily are such complex and different characters who each have their views and wants in the world, but also a desperate dependency on each other which is a joy to read. The ending is truly moving and it’s a book that you think about long after you turn the final page.
Overall, The Garden is a gripping and brilliantly paced read which I thoroughly enjoyed – my first Kindig Gem for 2025. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House UK & Transworld Publishers – Doubleday for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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