4 stars for The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan.
I am not sure what to make of this story right after I finish it. It is not my usual kind of read but it surely unsettles me and leaves me with mixed feelings and plenty to think about.
The Cement Garden may be an easy to read story but the theme it explores is definitely not. The book deals heavily with psychological issues relating to family, adolescent longing, sibling rivalry and death.
The family of Julie, Jack, Sue, and Tom, ages 17, 15, 13, and 6, attempts to deal with the loss of their mother in their own ways. The lack of adult supervision coupled with the confusion, fear and frustration of growing up lead them to explorations and experiments that are all too haunting and disturbing.
I am not sure if I like the story ultimately. It is obviously not a book for just about anyone but it is a story that will affect the reader in more ways than one.
Publisher: Anchor; 1st Vintage International ed edition
Publication date: 13 Jan 1994
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First the father dies, then the mother. Four children are left alone in a house that looks like a castle stranded among grim high-rises. Free of supervision, free of restraint, they can do and be anything, as long as the house's secret is kept.
*Blurb from author's website*
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