Review:
"A believable post-apocalyptic world, children reliably on their own, and a truly creepy villain makes this a wonderful page-turner that cannot be put down."--Jane Yolen, author of Devil's Arithmetic, Briar Rose, Snow in Summer
"Gillian Kendall has written a gripping, thoughtful, and oftentimes creepy tale of survival and the resilience of the human spirit. This deftly crafted debut novel will keep readers eagerly engaged (and maybe just a little bit terrified) until the stunning conclusion."--Jessica Brody, bestselling author of the Unremembered Trilogy
"Oh, this book. This book, this book, this book. Post-apocalyptic YA is usually just something I read for funsies, but I had to stay up last night until I'd finished this one. It wasn't the story--kids survive in a world where disease has wiped out all of the adults--but the writing. Most YA uses fairly simple, straightforward prose in telling its story, with the occasional descriptive passage used to point to something that will be Very Important to the Plot. This book, however, seemed to relish language; to use it to full effect to build mood and character. Every character had a distinctive voice, a distinctive way of speaking, which made them clear on the page. Each change of circumstance was rendered clearly, with the panic of the early part of the book giving way to the fear and loneliness of the middle, then on to the companionship, love and hope of the latter part. I really wish I could explain this better or that I had been smart enough to copy down some of the phrases and sentences that particularly stood out for me, but, alas, no. I will say, though, if you haven't read it yet, to give it a try when you have a chance. Like I said, there's nothing earth-shatteringly original about the plot, but the writing itself elevates this book far above the rest of the heaping pile of post-apocalyptic YA."--Billie Bloebaum "Powell's Books, Portland OR "
"The Garden of Darkness is an astonishingly good debut about a cheerleader and a chess club member's struggle to survive absent adults in a landscape ravaged by the Pest pandemic."--Tor.com
About the Author:
Gillian Murray Kendall is a Full Professor of English literature at Smith College. A specialist in Shakespeare and English Renaissance drama, and a graduate of Stanford University's Creative Writing Program, she teaches a course on the post-apocalyptic novel as well as on topics in Renaissance literature. Kendall is the author of articles, short stories and a book of essays. She has two sons, Sasha and Gabriel, and lives with her husband, biologist Robert Dorit, in Northampton, MA.
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