The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams

Sara Nisha Adams’ debut novel The Reading List, was so utterly exquisite it caused this reviewer to wonder whether her second could measure up to what seemed an impossibly high bar. All doubts have been allayed as it too is an absolute gem. The Twilight Garden is beautifully written in its celebration of the healing nature of gardens as well as the joy in having chosen families, not blood relatives but special friends who foster a sense belonging. 

This lovely book evokes memories of the enduring magical spell woven by Frances Hodgson Burnett in The Secret Garden published more than a century ago in 1911 in which three children set about restoring a large, neglected walled garden and in doing so, they return joy and light to the family.  The Twilight Garden may have been intuitively or unconsciously inspired by well-loved books such as this classic read in childhood with her grandfather from his own treasured collection.  

Sara Nisha Adams has skillfully crafted a modern-day classic which similarly restores hope to the bruised hearts of the residents of No. 77 and No. 79 Eastbourne Road in urban London. Just as a neglected garden carefully tended can be restored to its former glory, quarreling neighbors have the potential to become friends. 

Told Across Timelines and Viewpoints

The Twilight Garden unfolds through the viewpoints of the two primary characters Maya and Winston who live in the same home decades apart. Maya and her husband Prem were part of the vast, diverse ethnic Indian diaspora who left Kenya permanently in the late 1960s and early 1970s following Kenyan independence. 

For generations, Indians had formed a large portion of the merchant, government and professional classes residing in tightly-knit communities primarily in Nairobi and the coastal city of Mombasa but were ousted from their jobs and replaced by native Kenyans. Although the majority became British citizens, they quickly discovered they were second-class citizens who faced strict immigration quotas. 

This was the situation that faced Prem and his 26-year-old bride Maya, uprooted in 1972 from their comfortable home in Mombasa with its lush tropical garden. Maya was dismayed to be separated from her parents with their move to a rented house initially shared with her sister and brother-in-law. Additionally, it was a culture shock. 

Alma, the owner-occupant next-door neighbor, is 25 years her senior; gruff, plain-spoken and at first, rather frightening. Although Alma grumbles constantly about the foxes digging holes in the garden she does nothing to deter them. Gradually, Maya overcomes her trepidations and befriends the older woman by assisting her in the garden. The two women grow flowers, herbs and vegetables while Prem works long hours in London’s business center. Exotic tropical plants like banana trees flourish and attract a bright flock of parakeets. They become better acquainted with the neighbors.  

Over time, the garden becomes an urban oasis; a community center with garden parties boasting enormous potlucks with a groaning board of assorted ethnic fare. It also becomes a sanctuary for two neighborhood boys who are frequently targets for the police simply because of their dark skin. 

The memories linger for Maya in the form of photographs, newspaper clippings and letters she seasonally writes to Alma.  After her daughter had grown, completed her education and flown the nest and with her husband long dead. Maya moved into a smaller rental house across the road but became reclusive, receiving home deliveries of groceries and news from shopkeepers Sal and Angela. The erstwhile beautiful garden became a casualty of neglect.  

Chapters Marked by Seasons

The chapters in The Twilight Garden are divided into seasons beginning in autumn with the time shifting and narration alternating between Maya and Winston. The year is now 2018. The substantial but untended garden shared between the two homes still displays fall colors from the stubborn remnants of once-carefully cultivated beds. No. 77 Eastbourne Road has always been owner-occupied, well-maintained and recently meticulously updated.

 The current owner is Bernice, a recently divorced, acerbic 30-something woman who lives with her young son Sebastian also known as Seb. She is an architect who works from home, quarrels incessantly with her ex-husband Simon, and is possessed of a domineering, controlling personality crowned with an imperious manner. Bernice instantly locks horns with her neighbor Winston who often rests in the garden while enjoying the odd cigarette which greatly offends her. The mere sight of Winston aggravates her and when Sebastian befriends him, it nearly proves nearly too much. 

The neighboring home, No. 79 Eastbourne Road, has been an investment rental property for decades owned by Mr. James who lives off-site. (Except for Mr. James, no surnames are used.)   A cause of irritation for Bernice is that the garden which by deed is a common ground that cannot be divided by any sort of fence and is designated as a community garden with a locked gate at the back that exits to a bustling commercial and residential street. Aside from parks, there are few areas safe for urban fauna crowded out of their former habitat; consequently, the little foxes still appear at dusk to seek food and refuge in the garden.

Mysterious Package of Photos Unites Neighbors

In his early 20s, Winston was transported to gray misery in urban England away from the loving arms of his mother in India who brought sunshine and bright colors into any room. He remains in deep mourning, entrenched in guilt for not having been with her when she died and unable to bring himself to attend her funeral. If he didn’t return to India, he rationalized; she would remain vividly alive in his thoughts and memories. He had moved to London for higher education and work but then quit an otherwise “good” job and promising career over not wishing to be a “banker wanker”. Depressed and somewhat adrift, he works for shopkeepers Sal and Angela whose small general store stocks the herbs, spices and vegetables needed for the familiar Indian and Middle Eastern home cooking of the area’s primary inhabitants. The childless couple treats him almost as a son.  

Winston has not visited his father in India since he left for school and avoids communicating with his older sister Ruth in Canada even though she has been his best friend and protector since he was born. Apprehensive and ashamed, he has not confided to Ruth or his father that not only has he abandoned a career in finance but also that he is gay. Compounding his malaise, he fears his relationship with his beloved partner Lewis is on shaky ground.  

Life begins to change when a packet of photos and clippings of the formerly magnificent garden is pushed through the letter box addressed to “the young man who lives at No. 79”. Winston later learns Bernice has received a similar packet. He is the first to begin to clear weeds and plant seeds until the two reluctantly form an uneasy alliance that in time blossoms into friendship as they work cooperatively to restore the garden while raising the community spirits as well as their own. There are as many interesting stories for readers to savor as there are residents of the neighborhood.

The Twilight Garden is a glorious, inspirational book that promises to become a perennial favorite to be re-read regularly. Sara Nisha Adams has truly done it again. Frances Hodgson Burnett would surely be pleased and this reader eagerly anticipates her next novel.  Her two novels invite favorable comparison to such authors as Helen Simonson, Frederik Backman, Adriana Trigiani, Alexander McCall Smith and many others. 

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.” – Wendell Berry

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