Book Review: The Girls in the Garden

I have never wanted to recommend an author more than I do Lisa Jewell. Once again, her suspense novel has taken me for a tailspin. The Girls in the Garden centers around a thirteen-year-old girl who is found in a community park, half-exposed and passed out. She's discovered by her little sister and the entire community of neighbors are surged forward into a chaotic whirlwind of who-dunnit scenarios. However, a majority of the book is spent in the BEFORE stages of the young girl, Grace's, unfortunate circumstance. Centered around her, her little sister, Pip, and their mother, Clare, the three women move into the cliquey neighborhood, Virginia Crescent. Everyone knows everyone, pasts intertwine and the present is impacted by what once was. Loyalties have been established and trust is a hard characteristic to gain among these people. The three ladies have a hard time fitting in at first, but seem to mingle their way among the sets of parents and children, finding a peaceful way to enjoy what they've muddled their way into... at least, for a short while. AFTER happens in the last 1/3 of the novel, depicting Grace's dire medical condition and brushes upon what really happened to her one late night in the community park.

Jewell, once again, has the uncanny ability to keep reader's following one scenario to only be scooped up by an entirely different scenario that forms a giant plot twist which takes them to a mind-warping ending. I am in awe of her ability to continuously do this tactic throughout each of her novels (this being my third of her's from her many). Her attention to detail is detrimental to the gut-punch endings she produces. The interwoven relationships between characters is so essentially key to her story as a whole and is done so phenomenally well! This ending ceased to amaze me and despite my disappointment in the characters actions, that is the entire point of recognizing a great novel--loving and hating it at the same time. Recognizing the brilliance that comes with developing a piece that will throw readers for a loop and cause them to reconsider why they even chose to read that book in the first place. To question, how something so unthinkable could happen in such a scenario. Jewell's writing causes these different critiques to cross my mind, but all with positive notions.

I'd highly, SO VERY HIGHLY, recommend reading Jewell's suspense novels at any point! At least one (even though you'll be hooked for more!)