Books I've Read: The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

This book has been a start and stop and start again kind of reads. Many moons ago, I went on a search for books that had a specific trope—one that will make people cringe and might unfollow me. Let’s just say, I really do love taboo stories. The Cement Garden made the list.

It took me a long time to find a copy of the book in the wild. At the time, I didn’t have KU and I wasn’t about to pay full price for a eBook. Finally, I came across a used copy at a bookstore and purchased it straight away—though it sat on my bookcase for about a year before reading it.

Since purchasing the paperback, my eyes have been slowly dying which has made it hard to read a physical book anymore. Now I am KUing and librarying all of the books on my bookshelf instead of buying more. This was on my TBR, it was time to start. BUT… Life got in the way and my library loan went away. Now, it’s available again and POOF. I stopped what I was reading to finish this.

I loved it.

The Cement Garden is about four kids, who have both of their parents pass away soon after each other. When the final parent goes, they find themselves without a guardian and afraid they would be sent to foster care. Instead, they hide the remains of their mother under the cement in a trunk in the cellar. Life goes on.

The main character, narrator of the story, shares his experiences and feelings—much like a normal teenage boy who hasn’t fully grown into his feelings. What I loved about this book is how true to the age these characters were written. You have a teenage girl, who is blossoming into a woman. Her younger brother (the narrator) who masturbates quite often. Then there is a younger sister, who seems to be the most level headed one of the bunch. And then the baby, who is in grade school and likes to play make-believe and dress-up. Author, Ian McEwan captures them without fault.

Much like Flowers In The Attic, when adolescents on the cusp of adulthood find themselves at odds with life, they turn to each other for familiarity and comfort.

The book’s ending left a lot of the desired in the sense of what happens to them—it can’t last forever, right.

The book was enjoyable and lighthearted, even when dealing with death and the “I” word. I enjoyed it quite and bit… and once I focused on reading it, it was a fast read.