One morning three weeks before spring, Hilary Toohey found her beloved husband, George, lying dead in the garden, George having slipped on the wet paving and hit his head, dying instantly. This is the sad beginning to the sweet, funny, whimsical story of how Hilary came to meet the members of the Secret Garden Club.
Wendy Lynn Newton writes the best dialogue. Hilary and her daughter, Bernie, have great rapport, and Hilary’s interactions with everyone she meets are all gems. There is a misunderstanding with Hilary getting hold of the wrong end of the stick and causing herself a lot of unnecessary grief while she is already struggling to come to terms with losing George, as well as trying to help Bernie sort out her life. The Secret Garden Club meanwhile all feel obliged to become part of Hilary’s life, to honour their obligations to George’s memory.
Passages from the writings of Henry David Thoreau through the book are all part of the general feel for love of nature, gardens and gardening. In my imaginary screen adaptation I have cast Asher Keddie as Hilary; I can see Asher delivering those cute, offbeat lines perfectly!
Published by Pan Macmillan.
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