Description

A haunting, ethereal and beautiful 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 PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and SALTBURN

‘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?

____

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

Publisher Review

A fairy tale which gets you by the throat and doesn’t let go. 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. The cool restraint of the writing only compounds its devastating power. * Emerald Fennell * I was enchanted by this spooky, dreamy novel. Expansive and claustrophobic in equal measure, THE GARDEN is an eerie testament to the power of narrative to shape our reality-and the lengths we’ll go to in order to protect what we believe. * Sara Sligar, author of Take Me Apart * A gothic novel of weird sisters in the vein of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Nick Newman’s alluring debut twists and slithers into its own mysterious, compulsively readable shape. I loved it! * Mason Coile, author of William * ‘A dreamy, evocative novel that reads like a grown-up fairytale. Just like the garden that Evelyn’s tends, this story grows in meaning with every word. It asks the big questions about what makes us who we are and who to trust. And, like the best fairytales, the answers are often as dark as they are revealing. * Araminta Hall, author of OUR KIND OF CRUELTY * With shades of Shirley Jackson and Susanna Clarke, THE GARDEN is a shapeshifting fable that will stay with you long after you leave it behind. * Sara Flannery Murphy, author of THE POSSESSIONS, GIRL ONE, and THE WONDER STATE *