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Two elderly sisters have lived for decades inside a walled-off garden. Evelyn and Lily haven’t been outside the walls since childhood and can barely remember what their lives were like before their solitary existence. They spend each day working, making sure that trees and plants are producing food for them to continue existing. They regularly consult an old almanac their mother left for them. They follow all the warnings and instructions their mother gave them before she died.
They don’t know anymore what exists beyond the wall. They know only it is scary and unlivable.
One day they find a boy hiding in their home, and it upends their lives. Evelyn and Lily react differently to him at different times, and their relationships with him radically change their relationship with each other. Even as they somewhat come to a new normal with him, they don’t stop worrying and wondering what will happen next. Where did he come from, and will others come after him? What does he want?
As each day brings more disquiet and disruption, the sisters have to face memories and some hard truths. And they will have to decide not just how to deal with the boy, but how they will move forward.
I kept thinking as I read The Garden that there would be some kind of grand reveal at the end, that a great mystery would be solved. But this is more a story about a closed system and how two humans who have lived in this controlled system for their entire lives deal with the change. It is an examination of human nature, a tale of survival, a peek into family dynamics through what often seems a dusty window. It can be a bit unsettling, and it doesn’t adhere to expectations. I’m still not entirely sure what I think about it, but it gives some good material for me to chew on.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes one use of strong language, one instance of moderate profanity, about 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain, and about 15 uses of British profanity. There is very little sexual content. Violence occurs a few times, with not a lot of detail, and there are a couple of somewhat disturbing spots that are minimized by obliqueness.
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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
