The Various Stages of a Garden Well-Kept is a family saga that spans nearly 100 years, from a grandmother’s life in Greece to her grandchildrens’ escapades in Akron, Ohio. Playing with form throughout, it’s apparently loosely based on the author’s own family, which adds a personal touch.

I’ll be honest, this book didn’t work for me. It was a quick read and I was able to finish it, but when I did I found myself wondering: Why did the author write this? Why am I reading it? What am I as the reader meant to be getting out of it? There doesn’t really appear to be any sort of character growth by the end; instead, there are twists and new parts of the story revealed that as a reader I find I don’t really care about all that much. Everything that happens in the book seems so glossed-over and monotone, as if the characters have no real agency and are just following the script they’re given. The characters themselves are unlikable for the most part: Herman’s a jerk, Richard is a wreck, and grown-up Marieta doesn’t seem to care about her kids except for her daughter.

The final nail in the coffin for me was the writing style. I’m all for stream of consciousness, but it was executed poorly here. Both the characters’ internal monologues and dialogues just do not sound the way people actually think or talk, and because every single section is a different person’s POV, it gets really old really fast.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this book. It doesn’t have the character depth and growth I look for in a good read, and the writing style is enough to put many readers off early on. If you’re looking for a family saga, there are plenty of others out there whose execution is more solid.

Thank you to Blackwater Press and Edelweiss for providing a copy for review.