A Garden To Remember

The Lost Garden

Author:
Helen Humphreys
Published:
Phyllis Bruce Books (2004)
Number of Pages: 212
Review: Across Canada today millions of civilians will share a moment of silence to honour those that have fought for our country in the countless of wars in which Canada was involved and is currently involved.  And as we remember our veterans on this day we must also honour the lives of those our country has lost as well as the common workers, the nurses, the farmers, everyone who was involved in providing our country with the freedom we all relish in. It is in their honour I chose to read and review The Lost Garden.
Written in first person narrative, the novel focuses on 35 year old Gwen Davis, the lonely horticulturist whom has never been in love, in fact she’s never had any real relationships her entire life except for her relationship with plants, books and one author’s books in particular Virginia Woolf. After hearing of Mrs. Woolf’s disappearance and in a desperate attempt to escape her loneliness and the burning city of London (during the raids of 1941) she joins the war effort, planting food for the allies and babysitting the young women appointed to help.  Her life takes a turn for the better when she discovers a lost garden and the secret behind it’s existence. She’s also able to form relationships with two of the people she meets during her journey:  the fiery life loving Jane who teaches Gwen that life doesn’t always have to be centered and balanced and the dashing young Canadian solider Raley who, while being posted at her station, opens her heart to new experiences and love.
I think what I love most about this novel is the language it portrays. It is beautifully written with poetic sensibility and lucid prose. “This is what I knew about love. That it is tested everyday and what is not renewed is lost.” The loneliness this character feels is evident in this sentence as well it speaks of her view of life: “what is not renewed is lost” as if this escape to the army is actually a way to renew herself so that she doesn’t become lost in the war that surrounds her. 
Her loneliness is evident throughout the novel, her relationship with her co-workers, her relationship with the soldiers and even her relationship with her late mother - “I wasn’t there when my mother died,” - shows how isolated she keeps herself from everyone. Even her childhood memories are thickly covered in loneliness and isolation except for the plants and the darkness with which she surrounded herself.
The garden itself is a beautiful metaphor. When she first stumbles upon it she realizes that “the garden has been purposely planted” and as she prunes, snips and replants the garden she also prunes, snips and replants her life.  As the garden grows so does she, the gardens eventual beauty is manifest in her relationships with her friends and her relationship with herself.
The author’s metaphors are some of the best I’ve read in a while: “My discovered garden are really three gardens. They are joined together, each naturally flowing out of the other. But the other two are not yet in bloom so it feels wrong to explore them until they have fully revealed themselves.” The three main characters are all evident in this quotation and Gwen’s hesitation to plough and prod through the actual garden shows how she approaches people on a daily basis as well. She would never enter into their space until they reveal themselves to her.  As this quotation shows, the author’s language is so rich and beautiful you can’t help but fall in love with the prose.
I loved reading this novel. It’s meticulous approach to life during war is exquisite. Humphrey’s symbolism is perfect, her tone uncanny and she tackles many different issues, from war and isolation to lost love and homosexuality. It truly honours those that fought and still continue to fight for our freedoms. It shows that those on the front line are still human with flaws and fears and while we honour them to the highest regard we must also remember them as they were: beautifully isolated individuals.
Happy Reading!!!