The Garden

A dark, dystopian tale, perfect for fans of Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and Claire Fuller''s Unsettled Ground

‘The Garden is both a horror story and a meditation on love at the end of the world. It’s a testament to Newman’s extraordinary gifts that its creeping dread never overwhelms its tenderness.’ Emerald Fennell, Oscar-winning director of PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and SALTBURN

''[An] intriguing mix of psychological mystery and dystopian gothic.'' Guardian

''A seductive modern fairytale'' Emma Stonex, author of The Lamplighters

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?

A literary twist on The Secret Garden for fans of Shirley Jackson, Piranesi and Unsettled Ground

Extraordinary... it already feels like a classic Emerald Fennell, Oscar-winning director of SALTBURN

Glitters with menace and mystery Emma Stonex, bestselling author of The Lamplighters

An intriguing mix of psychological mystery and dystopian gothic Guardian

Part fable, part literary thriller The Garden may be the elusive inheritor to Susanna Clarke s Piranesi Vulture

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Nothing had come over the wall for a very long time. .

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 came before the garden, they have forgotten; what lies beyond it, they do not know.

Each day is spent tending the bees, planting the crops, dutifully following the instructions of the almanac written by their mother.

But then one of them makes a startling discovery.

What if their carefully curated life is an illusion? What if the walls no longer keep them safe?

Reminiscent of John Wyndham .absolutely exquisite Daily Mail

Darkly beautiful a Gothic, dystopian inversion of The Secret Garden Good Housekeeping

A brilliantly drawn folie deux ... like Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle - SFX

READER'S RESPONSES to THE GARDEN:

Definitely one of the most original books I ve ever read and I loved every moment of the reading experience 5-star reader review

LOVED this. Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson s We Have Always Lived In The Castle and Susanna Clarke s Piranesi 5-star reader review

Newman's writing style and world-building are poetic and evocative, yet also eerie and suspenseful. 5-star reader review

WOW! I was absolutely engrossed in this genre-bender for two days straight. 5-star reader review

Fans of Emily St. John Mandel, Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Charlotte McConaghy will enjoy this book. 5-star reader review

Part Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, part Lord of the Flies, part Shirley Jackson : all itself 5-star reader review

Nick Newman s distinctly creepy, quirky, mountingly tense post apocalyptic Gothic Garden of Eden novel is definitely weird, and remarkably wonderful. 5-star reader review

Gave me a mixture of We Have Always Lived in the Castle and I Capture the Castle vibes 5-star reader review

Outstanding. I was hooked on the story from the beginning. It had such a weird, evocative vibe from the beginning. 5-star reader review

Whatever else I read in 2025, it's definitely going to be one of my top ten. 5-star reader review

• | Author: Nick Newman
• | Publisher: Transworld
• | Publication Date: Jan 30, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language: eng
• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781529923940
• | ISBN-10: 1529923948