The Cement Garden

By Ian McEwan

Categories: Literature & Fiction

The Cement Garden is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan and his first novel. It was adapted into a 1993 film starring Charlotte Gainsbourg. After their father dies and their mother falls ill and dies, four children decide to hide her death so they will not be separated and sent into care. Fifteen-year-old narrator Jack and his siblings bury their mother in cement in the cellar and live alone through a strange, hot, and disturbing summer, with no adults to watch over them.

Recommended by 1 person

• Stephen King: “On Writing (Scribner, 2000), "And Furthermore, Part II: A Booklist"”