The Garden

This is a gripping yet emotionally suffocating story of the apocalypse, following aged sisters living off an ancient garden and their deceased mother’s commandments. Evelyn, in true older sibling fashion, does her best to make sure the rules are followed even though her sister, Lily, prefers games and art. Lily seems content to remain in an unrestrained little sister role while begrudgingly completing her chores and questioning their ways. The walls of their property protect them from a world too dangerous to look at without protection, but the arrival of a boy reveals the frailness of their security. What should they believe? What rules can they break? Each disagreement damages their trust and summons old hurts. Newman cleverly uses the mysterious boy as a catalyst to change readers’ perceptions of Evelyn, Lily, and their late parents, layering personal tensions over the mysteries of a world that may have ended.