The Twilight Garden: A Novel

by Sara Nisha Adams

Overview

Two feuding neighbors unite to resurrect a neglected city garden in this uplifting and quietly joyful novel by Sara Nisha Adams, author of the beloved The Reading List.

In a small pocket of London, between the houses of No.77 and No.79 Eastbourne Road, lies a neglected community garden. It was a beautiful thing once, a little oasis in a bustling city for neighbors by day and the local foxes at twilight. Now it’s overgrown and neglected, an empty patch of greenery lost to time.

Once a sanctuary, the garden’s gate is now firmly closed. And that’s exactly how Winston at No.79 likes it – anything to avoid Bernice, who has moved in next door with her young son. Their houses may share the garden, but they’re not exactly neighborly.

But then a mysterious parcel drops on Winston’s doormat. It contains no note, only a bundle of photographs of the garden in bloom many years ago—vibrant with flowers, filled with people from every corner of the community. Is someone trying to tell them something? The seed of an idea is planted…

Somewhere out there, a secret gardener made a decades-old promise to keep the community’s spirit alive. Now it’s time for The Twilight Garden to come out of hibernation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063297739
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/09/2024
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	722,049
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.23(d)

About the Author

Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian and English parents. Her first novel was The Reading List.

Editorial Reviews

"With a strong sense of place and diverse, well-developed characters, this endearing story celebrates the power of community to help navigate the joys and disappointments of life."
  — Booklist

"Delightful.... Gardeners will be especially pleased." — Publishers Weekly

“The most heartfelt read of the summer...a surprising delight of a novel.” — Shondaland on The Reading List

“A quietly beautiful novel about the magic of books and the joy of human connection.” — Newsweek on The Reading List

“A remarkable, heartwarming debut about the power of fiction.” — Popsugar on The Reading List

“Thoughtful and heartwarming... An absolute delight to read, it will be catnip to book groups craving a story to remind them why we read and how very important libraries and book shops are.” — Library Journal (starred review) on The Reading List

“This moving debut demonstrates the power of novels to provide comfort in the face of devastating loss and loneliness, with relatable characters and a heartwarming tone throughout. Readers who enjoyed Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and Nina George’s The Little Paris Bookshop will find themselves drawn in by this book.” — Booklist on The Reading List

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Adams’s delightful sophomore novel (after The Reading List) revolves around a garden shared by two London houses and the relationships formed by the tenants who tend to it over several decades. In 2018, 30-something Winston lives alone at No. 79 Eastbourne Road, heartbroken after his lover and roommate, Lewis, moved out. Winston is also troubled by the steady noise of renovation projects next door at No. 77, and develops a grudge against his haughty neighbor Bernice, whom he dubs “The Queen of Sheba.” The garden long ago went to seed, but over the course of their yearlong feud, they begin receiving mysterious letters and photos of previous residents posing in the plot during its prime. Eventually, they forge a plan to resurrect the garden together. A parallel narrative beginning in 1972 follows No. 79 tenants Maya and Prem, who move in as newlyweds, and their brusque neighbor, Alma, who softens after Maya gives birth to her daughter, Hiral, and the women bond over keeping up the garden. (Maya and Alma are pictured together in the photos received by Winston and Bernice.) The simple story is carried along by seamless time shifts and insights into the rewards of unexpected friendship. Gardeners will be especially pleased. Agent: Hayley Steed, Madeleine Milburn Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly