by Nick Newman
First published 2025
Evelyn and Lily tend their walled garden at the edge of nowhere. The elderly sisters know only each other and the daily rituals their mother's almanac prescribes. They plant crops, care for bees, and never question what lies beyond their walls. Memory fails them when they try to recall life before this place. Their quiet routine shatters when they find a nameless boy hiding in the boarded house at their garden's center. He won't say where he came from or what he wants. The sisters' suspicions grow as they debate what to do with their unwelcome visitor. Trust between Evelyn and Lily begins to crack. The boy's presence forces them to examine truths they've long avoided about themselves, their sanctuary, and the world they thought they knew.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, haunting, introspective, mysterious, tension-filled, unsettling
Tropes: found-intruder, fractured-relationships, secrets-revealed, unreliable-narrator
Setting: walled garden, boarded house
320 pages · Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: gaslighting