Heather's review of The Cement Garden
The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan
I have heard that this book is a "remake" of Les Enfants Terrible, and there are some similarities, but it's definitely a very different story.
The lack of parents is there, but in this case, the children play a very active role in keeping their mother's death a secret. And that secret is at the heart of the story.
There's is a strange veil over this novel, in my opinion. It's difficult to tell when it takes place. If it's meant to be a re-envisioned Les Enfants, it doesn't have the closeness or the raw emotion of that book. It might be worth reading with author's notes or some other clues as to what the author might have been alluding to.
The lack of parents is there, but in this case, the children play a very active role in keeping their mother's death a secret. And that secret is at the heart of the story.
There's is a strange veil over this novel, in my opinion. It's difficult to tell when it takes place. If it's meant to be a re-envisioned Les Enfants, it doesn't have the closeness or the raw emotion of that book. It might be worth reading with author's notes or some other clues as to what the author might have been alluding to.
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