The Girls in the Garden – Lisa Jewell
The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell
Published by Atria Books on June 7, 2016
The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewel is an interesting look at what happens when trust is given openly and what happens when a community no longer feels that trust. Peoples’ pasts and motives are dissected and everyone many not be who they seem. In a neighborhood that backs onto a private park everyone trusts that their children are safe and that their neighbors mean them no harm. Then a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious after a block party and everyone is a suspect.
The Girls in the Garden has a very interesting plot. A peaceful community where the secrets are hidden deep and start to come to light after a young girl is attacked. Everyone becomes a suspect and life in this idyllic location will never be the same. Lisa Jewell has a way of writing that can suck you deep into the story. She is able to convey a true glimpse of many characters at the same time, which is not easy to do. I did have some issues with the pacing. At times the story moved at a great pace that kept me super engaged, but then it would slow way down and it was a bit jolting. The world created felt vast even though it was contained to just the homes surrounding the garden. The emotions ran high and I liked that there were deep emotions coming through. I liked the characters but did not love any of them. Everyone was an integral part of the community and had a place in the story, but with such a large cast it made it difficult to connect with any one person.
The Girls in the Garden was an interesting read. I really enjoyed the community based structure of the story and the tension that created. I also liked the deep dive into the residents pasts and the way they all tied together. I was not a huge fan of the ending but it did make sense in the scope of the story. Lisa Jewell created a story that was both intriguing and engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
