Post-apocalyptic stories have enjoyed a long popularity, likely in part due to a world that refuses to return to any semblance of "precedented times." I know I've thought about the possibility that everything goes to hell. How long could I last on just what I could grow and preserve on my own? (Answer: not long.) But these stories often center the first few years after an event. The Garden, the adult debut from Nick Newman, instead explores what happens when self-sustenance and isolation last for a lifetime.

Evelyn and Lily live small lives: Evelyn tends to the vegetables and bees, while Lily does the cooking, and the two elderly sisters ramble around the part of their childhood home they've confined themselves to since they were young. But amid Lily's continued practicing of the dance routine she's been working on for decades and Evelyn recites the one book they have for the nth time, Evelyn also starts noticing little oddities: a beehive out of place, a shadow she can't explain, food missing from the kitchen.

The culprit is a teenage boy who has slipped through a hole in the wall that has protected the garden and the house within since the world went to hell. Evelyn can't bear the thought of him starving and being hurt, while Lily wants to do away with him immediately. Both fear that his presence is only the first of the dangers that might finally come to their door. As the newness of the boy's presence wears off, Evelyn's fear only grows, while Lily seems to have lost hers—even of the things the sisters have been avoiding from the start. Suddenly, it's not just their safety at risk, it's their relationship, and their entire little world.

We get few details about the world or what happened to it, other than things are very, very bad. In flashbacks to the beginning of the end, there are glimpses of supply and provision shortages; the girls' mother and father argue about whether to stay or go from the estate, and whether to wall themselves in or leave in search of safer ground; a small group of looters arrive when it's just the girls and their mother in the house, demanding everything they have and more—or else. Evelyn is just a few years older than Lily, but it's enough to give her a fuller picture of what their mother was trying to shield them from while Lily's understanding is limited to vague threats of monsters beyond the garden's walls. And that discrepancy in how much each understands of the world outside affects how she perceives the new 

One of the most interesting aspects of The Garden is how overgrown the childhood relationship between the sisters has become over the years. They're both now old enough to know they should be watching for early signs of dementia in the other, but their dynamic has remained unchanged over their lifetimes, as if the lack of outside influences prevented them from growing up, too. Lilly still defers to Evelyn, even while complaining about how Evelyn is bossy and always in charge. They both defer to their mother, though she doesn't talk back much from her grave, and it's clear that even the garden has outgrown her guidance. Decades of love, history, resentment, and childlike obedience that should have expired a lifetime ago make for a potent stew for these sisters to sup.

In many ways, The Garden is as much about the testing, and mending, of that sisterly relationship as anything else. The apocalypse is merely a reason for their cloistering, and the reckoning they face with each other—and how and why they've spent their lives within these walls.

This book is like Grey Gardens but with sisters and set in a dystopian world. The sisters are just as strange and delightful as you want them to be, and yet there's so much heart and the author makes them so dimensional, you can't help but fall in love with them. I was able to relate to both women in such deep ways, it really touched me. With Evelyn, I felt connected to the caregiver and eldest sister--the one who has to listen and "be good" and put others first. With Lily, I saw the child-at-heart, artistic lunatic who's so much smarter and more intuitive than at first glance.

I will avoid any potential spoilers, so I'll just say that this book is about family, and the ending broke my heart in the best way possible. I loved it. Bring on the strange stories that will unexpectedly make you cry.

The Garden is a dystopian story of two sisters living in an old house with no communication to the outside world; they aren't even sure if there is any "world" out there anymore, as they won't even look over the wall of the garden. The setting is their childhood home, old and run down now, in an unknown time and an unnamed place. When they were younger their mother set up the large estate to be self-sustaining - they grow all their own food, get their water from a spring on the property, etc. The sisters, Evelyn and Lily, are old now and their parents are gone. Their Mother has died and they were told that their father left. The mother basically brainwashed them when they were children to believe all men are evil and nothing (at least nothing good) exists beyond the walls of their garden. So they live, day after day, year after year, tending their garden to just survive.
Then one day a stranger shows up, a young boy has breached their wall and come into their lives; they can no longer pretend that no one else exists, they now know their is a world out there with other people and other possibilities.
Bonds are tested, new bonds are formed, and survival is key as other find the garden and try to take them away.
It was an interesting story, a little slow at times, but I enjoyed it enough and wanted to keep reading to figure out what was going on and what was going to happen. Nothing spectacular, but definitely not bad. A solid average 3 stars.

This was so much better than I had anticipated. We follow two elderly sisters who are isolated in a dilapidated estate where they have sequestered themselves to the kitchen and the garden in a haunting dystopian future. I will say if you enjoy books like Pink Slime by Fernanda Trias, Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer or other weird environmental dystopian fiction then check this one out. The writing is fantastic as well as the pacing. I will say sometimes books like this can drag but fortunately this one held my attention and didn’t let me go until it was over. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for the advice copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit slow to start for me but once I got there I was so consumed by the story. The sisters relationship and the mystery of what was going on was so interesting. This is my kind of dystopia. So intriguing.

Two elderly sisters live an isolated life caring for the lush garden on their family property. But earth is not as we know it, life is harder, and survival is the key. But an unexpected visitor turns the routine life these sisters have upside down. Will their garden continue on, or will everything come undone around them?

This novel has a very literary fiction take on the science-fiction dystopian genre. The author writes with an incredibly detailed, descriptive way that clearly illustrates the main characters personalities and interventions, and these two old sisters are like cats and dogs together! While told from a single point of view from the oldest sister, flash backs are frequently featured to lead you to minor but important details as the story unfolds.

The story overall has a slow pace, and focuses heavily on the characters rather than the world or the circumstances in it. You are left with many unanswered questions regarding the dystopian nature of earth including what happened or when. The focus is less on the what and more on the how after, how this family and namely these two sisters survive, and how they manage life without anyone else around.

While this novel is not one I would read again, I can see fans of literary fiction, of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, or other slow paced novels being quite the fan of this. I give this book 3 stars as I finished and I was intrigued, I just did not feel myself pulled in or in love to give it a 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, and GP Putnam and Sons for the opportunity to read this ARC.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Psychological Horror, Literary Horror, Fantasy, Dystopian, Suspense, Dark Fantasy
Language: Salted with some language (mostly British)

THE GARDEN is eerie and twists with questions and mysteries, many of which are unanswerable but are hinted at and open for the readers' interpretation.

I think Piranesi or The Yellow Wallpaper are good comparable titles for this book.

There are basically five characters: the sisters, the memory of their parents, and the boy (who never gains a proper name.) After I started reading, I went back to the description because I was even questioning the age of the two main characters. Yes, they are elderly women. I kept wondering which sister was losing her mind like their mother . . . you'll have to decide on what you think.

What are we supposed to gain from this book? I think it points to a sense of community vs isolation and humanity vs monstrosity. It's thought provoking. This book isn't for everyone. I think you have to enjoy books that are obtuse and open for some interpretation. Now, I happened to enjoy it immensely. I also asked myself how the book would have changed if the boy was given a proper name. I pinpointed him as a symbol for innocence, childhood, a burden, a reliever of burdens, and a moral barometer, Again . . . you'll have to see what you think.

Happy (creepy) reading!

Sisters Evelyn and Lily have only eachother. When they were still young, something terrible happened outside the walls of their family estate and their mother decided it was safer to stay away from the rest of the world. It has been decades since the sisters have seen another human. When things begin to move and the garden wall that has kept them safe appears to be damaged, Evelyn isn’t sure if her mind is slipping or if something else lurks in the garden. When the sisters discover a frail and starving boy, everything they thought they knew about the outside world is called into question.

I knew I would love The Garden as soon as I started reading. It’s a bit of a quieter, slow-paced novel that’s part dystopian and almost part gothic in a way. The book I kept thinking about while reading this was We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, which is a favorite classic of mine. The relationship between Evelyn and Lily just felt so authentic and each of the sisters has such a unique personality, despite being trapped together for so long. In the Garden, we don’t really learn the extent of what has survived outside the garden walls and I liked the ambiguity of it. As the story progresses and you learn more from the flashbacks throughout it really makes you question what lives the sisters could have lived if they’d dared to venture out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for a review copy.

This was a strange and unusual book. It had a dystopian feel to it, but given how much info was kept from the reader, it's hard to say whether it's truly dystopian or not. I might also classify it as a gothic mystery.
But the best way I can describe this is that it reads like an M. Night Shyamalan movie. I continually got vibes that reminded me of The Village movie (which I love). The difference is, this book never really answered the questions that built up as I continued reading, and there was no real "payoff" at the end.
It was a pretty quick read. The storyline flowed well, and I found it really hard to put down. However, part of the reason it was hard to put down was because I wanted to find out the truth behind the lives of the two sisters in this book. The timeline goes back and forth, giving the reader little snippets of their childhood (in the book it's implied that they are elderly, though we're never given an exact age for either of them), and I thought that as it continued and as I kept learning more about their childhood, that certain explanations would reveal themselves. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case.
Another character was introduced partway through the story, also with a cryptic backstory. Once again, as little things would reveal themselves, I expected a further explanation of that character's backstory. Once again, it was never provided. There were certain scenes or things that were mentioned that made me feel as if I was supposed to infer what was meant by them, but it was never enough information for me to make any sort of conclusion.
When I got to the end and was still left with so many questions, I honestly felt a bit frustrated. Books that are left open-ended can be hit or miss for me. But when they are done well, I love them and actually appreciate the author's choice to leave them that way. But in the case of this book, there were questions mounting up as I continued reading, and I found it frustrating that none of them were answered. Fine if you want to leave the ending up to interpretation or to allow me to form my own opinion about what happened, but it really would've been nice to have answers to some of the questions that built up throughout the book. To be left confused about multiple things means there was no satisfaction or payoff at the end for me as a reader. It makes me wonder what the point was of the book I just read.
On the positive side, the book was very atmospheric and I liked the overall premise of it. I loved the mystery of it, the creepy factor, and even the plot. I just think too many things went unanswered. Why give me snippets to sort of explain aspects of the story, but also create so many new questions?
If this book had at least answered some of the questions that came up for me, I would absolutely have rated it higher. I really liked the writing and was totally sucked in to this book. I enjoyed the experience of reading it until I got to the end and realized none of my questions would be answered. I'm honestly surprised how many people are giving it 5-star reviews and are totally satisfied with what they've read. So perhaps several things did just go over my head - perhaps the answers were within its pages and I just didn't get it. It could just be a me thing.

I would say that if you are someone who enjoys or doesn't mind open-ended books, definitely read this one. On the other hand, if an open-ending frustrates you, this book will drive you mad.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Garden was weird and interesting until it wasn't.

In an unnamed near future, Evelyn and Lily, two elderly sisters, live in a walled garden and sleep in the kitchen — just about the only part of the main house that isn't closed off. Isolated from the outside world, their lives head off in a new trajectory, forcing truths and untruths to the surface for examination and contemplation, when a boy is found trespassing on their property.

What started out with a delightfully slip-sliding familiarity (at first it felt part We Have Always Lived in the Castle and part Grey Gardens), slowly descended into only actually playing around with weirdness — teasing with flashbacks that proved unnecessary, never fully serving or bolstering the main story's progress. Either this endeavor should've been shorter or more (not longer, per se), because this felt either overcooked or under-seasoned.

This was a good mystery/ thriller. I love the descriptions of the place..it was a unique dystopian tale. A lot different than most of the dystopian tales I have read. I liked the sisters a lot. Will definitely recommend this one.

A dystopian genre, of two sisters who have only each other after an unknown disaster wipes out the world and their garden, is all that remains from their past life. A thought-provoking story exploring the psychological effects of trauma and isolation.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital copy of this book, to be published February 18, 2025

Nick Newman's The Garden raises a lot of questions about the future and how we would deal with our given lot. What will you do with the ones you love? Will you have hope, fear, or just live life by what you've been taught to believe? Throughout the novel I felt an underlying apprehension regarding Evelyn and Lily's state of being. I enjoy a good dystopia novel and The Garden hit all the marks.

The Garden by Nick Newman
Received as an arc.
Evelyn and Lily are elderly sisters struggling in life gardening, collecting food, keeping of the chickens. They live on their family’s old homestead that once had communal workers. They’ve been alone along time with people leaving or dying. Things are moved, a rock wall damaged, a newly baked apple pie disappeared then Until one day Evelyn thinks she sees something in the areas of the house that they blocked off. They discover an extremely starved and injured boy. They’ve been told no one was left. Where did he come from. They provide him care to heal and to help the sisters’ farm.
They find out their mother lied to them and there are others out there. Decisions need to be made to fee or prosper as another storm arrives.
5⭐️

Two sisters of indeterminate age, Evelyn and Lily, live alone in a big house with a big garden. The action kicks off when Evelyn is tending to the beehive and discovers that it's been moved. Lily, afraid of the bees, couldn't have been the one to move it. So what's going on?

The story is disorienting. The sisters only live in part of the big house - really, it was a mansion. They're self-sufficient, living off of the garden and provisions from the icehouse. Why is the rest of the house boarded up? How long have they been alone? What happened to the rest of the world?

Amidst the desolation, the sisters have their routine. Gathering eggs, tending to the bees, reading from the one book they have from the "old days", The Secret Garden. Evelyn is the older sister, protective of Lily, in both the present and the past. Lily, sheltered, still rehearses her dance steps, dressing up in ball gowns and getting her hair in place. Some major Grey Gardens vibe going on here - the sisters are elderly, the house dilapidated, their facade delusional. It's not hard to squint and see a raccoon ambling across broken floorboards.

Episodes from the past kick off sections of the book and we come to understand the sisters' story. Those parts blend in with events in the present which are disrupting their carefully maintained routine. The direction is unexpected, their behavior perplexing. The overall atmosphere is eerie and unsettling as we head to a shock of an ending.

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the digital ARC. (pub date 2/18/2025)

On the surface, this is exactly the type of book I’m drawn to. A sort of unexplained dystopian setting, confined to a small area, etc. but unfortunately I had a hard time fully connecting. I was interested throughout and enjoyed learning the little tidbits we did get. But never did I feel that pull you get when reading a book you really enjoy.

I have no qualms with anything specific and I thought the elderly main characters was a unique touch. I just wish this grabbed me how I expected it would.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC*

Up to this point, I have been pretty knee deep in Romantasy, and I thought it was time to take a break and read another genre. I do not necessarily regret that choice, but this was a rather dialectic way to go about it.

I give this novel a solid 3 stars, possibly bleeding into 3.5. At no point was I bored or wanted to stop reading, but at the same time, I was constantly checking to see how much I had left to read.

The best way I can describe it, if you have seen The Office, is that the novel gives you the same feeling as when you watch the first episode: uncomfortable, confused, and not quite sure if this is your thing. Eventually, it grows on you (and frankly I adore The Office), but it never quite got to the “I loved this” phase with me.

I am glad I read it, and I am still pondering its existence, but I will probably find something that is a real page turner next.

This book was a WILD ride. You never really quite understand what's happening, and you're not supposed to. The author gives you little hints here and there if you're clever enough to put the pieces together. I really enjoyed how since the story was from the 3rd person POV of the older sister I made assumptions about which sister was right and then slowly was shown that not all is as it seems.

I thought I would give something new a try but decided to dnf at 30%. I can see other people really enjoying it just wasn’t a story for me.

I almost decided not to read this one bc I wasn’t in the mood for something that sounded even just slightly obscure. I’m not even sure what possessed me to request this one in the first place, except for trying to branch out and for the hint at a little bit of mystery.

But the book sucked me in right away. Even though stuff with an unusual premise sometimes takes a while to hook me. I was intrigued by the story and invested in the relationship between the two sisters.

The brief glimpses back into their past added a little something extra. And I like that the “what happened” isn’t fully explained bc I don’t think it needs to be.

That it only took me about 24 hours to read shows how easy it is to get sucked into their garden world.