A review by jenacidebybibliophile
The Garden by John M. Nuckel

5.0

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, John M. Nuckel, for an honest review.

Opinion: This is SUCH an adorable short story. I can definitely see this growing into a fantastic novel or even a movie. I am going to keep this very short so that I don’t spoil the treasure that this story is, but I will give a little bit more detail into what it is about.

Walt Palmer is near the end of his life, laying in the hospital physically unresponsive but mentally aware. He takes us through small memories with his daughters and his late wife, who died seven years prior due to a mistake that he had made. In this story we watch as Walt tries to enter the “afterlife” with his wife Meg, but learns that he must make amends with himself and his daughter before he can.

This story was very short and sweet, but I think it could absolutely be turned into something much bigger. For only being about 28 pages long, this is filled with beautiful descriptions and character development. The way the author chooses to describe the garden in which Meg was living when her and Walt first met was amazing, I felt like I was right in the setting. This feels highly genuine and full of emotion, especially when Walt is taking us through a memory of him and his daughter when she was very young. Though they had been estranged for years, there is an unconscious link that kept them together. I hope this author either adds to this story or makes it longer, because I have not had my fill quite yet!