Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Simon and Schuster (1978), Edition: First Edition, 153 pages
Description
In the relentless summer heat, four abruptly orphaned children retreat into a shadowy, isolated world, and find their own strange and unsettling ways of fending for themselves.
Media reviews
The Cement Garden is in many ways a shocking book, morbid, full of repellent imagery—and irresistibly readable. It is also the work of a writer in full control of his materials.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dczapka
This slim volume, McEwan's first published novel, is notable for its tight control and gentle, haunting prose, all of which perfectly dresses a story that is so deceptively simple that it touches just the right suspenseful notes.
Jack, the second-oldest of four children, narrates the tale of his
Though both facets become important during the text, the novel feels far more interesting as a sexual narrative than as a narrative of arrested development, perhaps because there's something disarmingly matter-of-fact about the presentation. McEwan's tone is so bland and nonchalant that is becomes extraordinarily unsettling to read even when little happens. The suspense builds naturally from our own curiosity about what could possibly happen to these children.
McEwan's handling of one particular tension -- first brought up on the third page of the novel, and not truly resolved until the third-to-last -- is masterful, and while I was not surprised by what happened during the climactic scene, I was rather shocked by how it played out. My own view of this is that the novel benefits from its smallness, both of volume and of scale. I was really pleased with the compactness and precision of McEwan's language in this early work, as opposed to Saturday which I felt was detailed to a fault and lost focus in its attempt to be exhaustive. This novel is just the right length, uses just the right words, and by the end, hits just the right note.
Anyone who has read Saturday or Atonement and been left underwhelmed would do well to go back and see how McEwan got started -- you might be rather pleasantly surprised.
Jack, the second-oldest of four children, narrates the tale of his
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unusual family: Julie, his older sister; Sue, his younger sister; and Tom, the youngest. In the first chapter, their father dies; by the end of Part One, their mother too will succumb. While it may seem criminal to highlight these critical facts, knowing them allows the reader to concentrate more on the small details accentuated throughout, as those seemingly minor points ultimately become the hinges on which the story rests.Though both facets become important during the text, the novel feels far more interesting as a sexual narrative than as a narrative of arrested development, perhaps because there's something disarmingly matter-of-fact about the presentation. McEwan's tone is so bland and nonchalant that is becomes extraordinarily unsettling to read even when little happens. The suspense builds naturally from our own curiosity about what could possibly happen to these children.
McEwan's handling of one particular tension -- first brought up on the third page of the novel, and not truly resolved until the third-to-last -- is masterful, and while I was not surprised by what happened during the climactic scene, I was rather shocked by how it played out. My own view of this is that the novel benefits from its smallness, both of volume and of scale. I was really pleased with the compactness and precision of McEwan's language in this early work, as opposed to Saturday which I felt was detailed to a fault and lost focus in its attempt to be exhaustive. This novel is just the right length, uses just the right words, and by the end, hits just the right note.
Anyone who has read Saturday or Atonement and been left underwhelmed would do well to go back and see how McEwan got started -- you might be rather pleasantly surprised.
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LibraryThing member TheTwoDs
Idle hands are the devil's workshop indeed. This little story starts off disturbing enough and devolves from there. It's as if the Swiss Family Robinson landed on the island from Lord of the Flies and set up shop in Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Decay pervades the goings on.
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Buildings crumble, pavement cracks, vacant lots become overgrown with weeds...parents die, bodies rot, children's morals disappear. The ending may be too perverse for the squeamish, but the book could have no other ending. This was Mr. McEwan's first novel after several short stories and you can hear the tentative beginnings of his voice stepping out. Show Less
LibraryThing member oldblack
Certainly an unusual story - bizarre in parts. On the other hand, much of it was an entirely believable description about how family members interact and what might happen in an isolated family which is suddenly deprived of its adults. It's only a short book and is comparatively easy reading so,
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although I was somewhat put off by the bizarre elements, there wasn't ever any doubt that I would read through to the end. I did wonder at times whether McEwan deliberately placed some elements in the story for their shock value. Show Less
LibraryThing member CliffBurns
Creeeepy book.
A psychological thriller; dunno about you but I prefer McEwan's earlier stuff and CEMENT GARDEN is one of his best. Read it back to back with Iain Banks' THE WASP FACTORY and have your faith in the possibilities of language and imagination restored...
A psychological thriller; dunno about you but I prefer McEwan's earlier stuff and CEMENT GARDEN is one of his best. Read it back to back with Iain Banks' THE WASP FACTORY and have your faith in the possibilities of language and imagination restored...
LibraryThing member maryreinert
I've read several of McEwan's books and have mostly enjoyed them. This is certainly not one of them. Yes, it probably is well written and yes, it explores the "dark side of human nature", but I found the entire premise so unbelievable that I felt it missed its mark.
The young people are supposedly
This is certainly not a book that everyone would enjoy -- but there is a place for those as well. If you want to read a book about isolated children and adolescent sexuality, this is probably it.
The young people are supposedly
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isolated, yet they are in school. They are supposedly "innocent" yet the oldest is a teenager with a boyfriend who she has to meet someplace; she hasn't been locked up from society. I just found all of the characters and their situation too far removed from reality. I am admitting this was a pretty strange family to begin with and I am also aware that there are some pretty strange families in the world (I've taught school for many years and believe me, the sexuality of the children is believable). Yet the characters just didn't ring true for me.This is certainly not a book that everyone would enjoy -- but there is a place for those as well. If you want to read a book about isolated children and adolescent sexuality, this is probably it.
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LibraryThing member FemmeNoiresque
I liked the adaptation of Julian Gloag's Our Mother's House, which The Cement Garden apes in both plot and theme, better than the self-serious, emotionally explicit bleak Tragedy with a Capital T that Ian McEwan thrives on.
He is the literary equivalent of Hermione in Women In Love - performing the
He is the literary equivalent of Hermione in Women In Love - performing the
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dance of the seven veils in dead seriousness to visitors in her home, when they are on the verge of cracking up laughing and breaking into the Charleston. Show Less
LibraryThing member siafl
McEwan's first novel. It shows glimpses of the art of McEwan that I have come to appreciate very much. This one is a quick and well-written, and wicked, but a little disgusting. Not my favourite of the author's but I'm still glad I read it. It shows the kind of creativity that McEwan has and the
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fact that he would go to places that no many could. Show Less
LibraryThing member amerynth
The list of 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die has several problems-- and high among them is the fact there are too many books by Ian McEwan on the list. His debut novel "The Cement Garden" is definitely one of the books that could easily be removed.
It's the story of four children who have
The story wasn't particularly believable and seems to be designed to be as shocking as possible. I would have gone through life just fine without reading this one.
It's the story of four children who have
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problematic relationships with each other. Those relationships get even worse after their parents die and they encase their mother in cement in the basement to keep social services from finding out. Their dysfunctional relationship deteriorates even further.The story wasn't particularly believable and seems to be designed to be as shocking as possible. I would have gone through life just fine without reading this one.
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LibraryThing member eightambliss
The Cement Garden is a tale of four siblings who must deal with life after their parents die. The oldest two start developing lives and personalities independent from the parents while they try to make sense of their dysfunctional lives, the younger daughter retreats into a world of reading and
If you have ever heard of this book, you know their is incest and sexual abuse, but don't let that turn you off from this brilliant masterpiece by Ian McEwan. It's an interesting look of several different characters and what happens to their lives after their parental figures are gone.
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writing, and the youngest reverts back to baby behavior.If you have ever heard of this book, you know their is incest and sexual abuse, but don't let that turn you off from this brilliant masterpiece by Ian McEwan. It's an interesting look of several different characters and what happens to their lives after their parental figures are gone.
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LibraryThing member ajarn7086
This is a dark short story about survival, compulsion, and an inevitably developing obsession. As the reader goes forward, an expectation develops of WHAT is going to happen. The artistry of the author is in the description of HOW the expectation is realized.
Seven characters move this story
And Mom is happy that Dad is dead. She and the kids always cowered before the overbearing physical abusiveness of Dad. But Mom is physically, and possibly mentally, ill. From the time of Dad’s death, Mom’s existence is a story of steady decline and retreat into a drug filled existence in bed until she dies. Now the kids have to survive and overcome several problems on their own. How will they support themselves? Where will the money come from? How can the kids conceal the deaths of Mom, the remaining parent, and avoid a government engineered family split? And, just as an aside, what will the kids do with Mom’s body? It sure is lucky that Dad purchased all that cement.
Jack, Julie, and Susie create a cement sarcophagus for Mom in the cellar. It is imperfect and will eventually disintegrate to the point that a horrible smell will permeate the house leading to its discovery and disintegration by Derek, boyfriend of Julie. In a fit of jealous rage, he will share his discovery with police.
Why is Derek jealous? Jack, Susie, Julie, and Tom have always had a close relationship, protecting each other from Dad’s rages and supporting each other in necessary domestic roles when Mom could not get out of bed. From an early age there was sexual experimentation. It advanced predictably in a way that would feed Derek’s jealousy. There is even a sexual aside as Julie and Susie help Tom experiment with cross dressing.
This is a story of steady decline of a family. Their individual flaws play out in a setting of physical decline that can be distasteful to read. Moral decline occurs in tandem with physical filth. If a story that leads inevitably to incest disgusts you, avoid this one. However, the way the story is told is art. This is a fascinating, dark, tragic story.
Seven characters move this story
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forward. Dad and Mom appear and disappear early in the story. Dad has a bit of obsession. He, Mom, and the kids live in a stark, fortress like stone building. This image complements the idea of “cement.” Dad is going to extend the solid image of the house by extending the amount of land covered by cement to create a “rock garden.” Despite a heart condition, Dad works hard. The main narrator, a son late in the story identified as Jack, helps Dad move and mix the cement for the garden construction. Jack is careful to not help too much. He wants Dad to overstress. Dad complies out of a sense of stubbornness, pride, and immortality. Wrong choice. Dad dies.And Mom is happy that Dad is dead. She and the kids always cowered before the overbearing physical abusiveness of Dad. But Mom is physically, and possibly mentally, ill. From the time of Dad’s death, Mom’s existence is a story of steady decline and retreat into a drug filled existence in bed until she dies. Now the kids have to survive and overcome several problems on their own. How will they support themselves? Where will the money come from? How can the kids conceal the deaths of Mom, the remaining parent, and avoid a government engineered family split? And, just as an aside, what will the kids do with Mom’s body? It sure is lucky that Dad purchased all that cement.
Jack, Julie, and Susie create a cement sarcophagus for Mom in the cellar. It is imperfect and will eventually disintegrate to the point that a horrible smell will permeate the house leading to its discovery and disintegration by Derek, boyfriend of Julie. In a fit of jealous rage, he will share his discovery with police.
Why is Derek jealous? Jack, Susie, Julie, and Tom have always had a close relationship, protecting each other from Dad’s rages and supporting each other in necessary domestic roles when Mom could not get out of bed. From an early age there was sexual experimentation. It advanced predictably in a way that would feed Derek’s jealousy. There is even a sexual aside as Julie and Susie help Tom experiment with cross dressing.
This is a story of steady decline of a family. Their individual flaws play out in a setting of physical decline that can be distasteful to read. Moral decline occurs in tandem with physical filth. If a story that leads inevitably to incest disgusts you, avoid this one. However, the way the story is told is art. This is a fascinating, dark, tragic story.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
After Julie, Jack, Sue, and Tom lose both of their parents they attempt to hold their family together. But the twisted siblings find that they are cracking at the seams as they all struggle with grief. This dark and twisted story just missed the mark for me. I found no redeeming elements and it was
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really disturbing. Show Less
LibraryThing member Clara53
This was not my cup of tea at all (although I do like McEwan's writing in general)... Dysfunctional family at the center of it, with a 15 year-old boy being a protagonist, but somehow it felt that some really big lines were crossed here. I understand drama, but this one is uncomfortable in a sense
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that it puts you off. Details are good up to a point, but here they were superfluous and disturbing. It was a difficult read in that sense. Show Less
LibraryThing member pdebolt
I am an enormous fan of Ian McEwan, so I am puzzled that an author of his stature and with his abililty to captivate his readers could have written this book. The subject matter is disturbing on so many levels. I read as much as I could without finding anything redeeming in content or
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characterization. Could this be the same author who wrote On Chesil Beach and Atonement? Show Less
LibraryThing member kishields
Ian McEwan seems to enjoy talking about disposing of dead bodies! The Innocent has a much worse treatment of a body, but this one was pretty revolting as well. The book describes through the eyes of a teenage boy narrator the events in a family of four children after the death of the father and
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then the mother. Children left to their own devices apparently go feral pretty quickly, and this book will remind you of other classics of this plot device, such as "Lord of the Flies" and (more similarly) the movie, "Our Mother's House." Spare and creepy, like much of McEwan's work, but not as funny as he can be in books like "Amsterdam." Show Less
LibraryThing member chickletta
Very disturbing book. A set of children are orphaned when their parents die in quick succession of each other. Before she dies, their mother tells them not to let Social Services know that they're staying by themselves, because they will be separated and placed in foster homes. To keep the mother's
I was unable to get the sick feeling left by this book out of my head for days.
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death a secret, the two oldest children, a girl and a boy bury her in their garden, cementing over her grave with a bag of cement their father had bought. The dysfunctional family ends up in a tremendously sick incestuous relationship. I was unable to get the sick feeling left by this book out of my head for days.
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LibraryThing member SirRoger
Wow. McEwan's early stuff sure touches on difficult topics. Not for the morally squeamish, but still wonderful storytelling.
LibraryThing member miriamparker
Seriously, this is the most fucked up book ever written. READ IT IMMEDIATELY.
LibraryThing member mjmbecky
So disturbing in content and storyline, that I'm still out on the story. You just can't seem to get away from all that's shocking, so that you can get to all that needs discussing. Not high on my list of recommendations, if can be recommended at all.
LibraryThing member GINSBOURG
makes you realise how the need for security can pervert behaviour and reduce the world's horizon
and yet the family only wanted to stick together but used the wrong "glue"
i love the end when the boyfriend calls the police, only an outsider could see how sick the family
was, and he could only save
and yet the family only wanted to stick together but used the wrong "glue"
i love the end when the boyfriend calls the police, only an outsider could see how sick the family
was, and he could only save
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them with a "brutal" waking up. Show Less
LibraryThing member Virtual_Jo
A very strange but compelling and haunting novel about a family with an unusual secret hidden in the cellar. Hard to forget...
LibraryThing member fig2
This excellent but morbid novel explores the lengths to which children may go to preserve their family when both parents die. Shocking, disturbing and haunting. McEwan is amazing, as always.
LibraryThing member Dufva
The story of a family of four children--two boys, two girls--who suddenly find themselves orphaned and alone in their down-at-the-heels suburban house, forgotten by distant relatives and ignored by neighbors, The Cement Garden tells of sibling power struggles, incest, and despair at its very best.
LibraryThing member CheapRegrets
I wouldn't say this book is disturbingly beautiful because it's nothing of "beautiful". But it was different, original, a good read.
The first part was dynamic and terrible.Four kids lose their parents and they have to live on their own
The second one started bad and ended up being good.The whole
The ending was excellent, and I don't understand how some people are arguing about it. They say that McEwan left everything untied but I think the opposite! It's all knot there!
The first part was dynamic and terrible.
The second one started bad and ended up being good.
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Derek thing was boring for me but it seemed necesary for the story, after all it's the main conflictThe ending was excellent, and I don't understand how some people are arguing about it. They say that McEwan left everything untied but I think the opposite! It's all knot there!
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LibraryThing member Cariola
A like McEwan better now that he's getting out of his kinky phase.
LibraryThing member nathanhobby
The Cement Garden feels like an apocalyptic work even though it's strictly not. When their mother dies, four children bury her in cement in the basement rather than risk being put in an orphanage. Jack narrates, and although he never explicitly says it, the narrative is driven by his lust for his
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sister Julie. Early on, he and Julie play with their sister Sue's body; he begs Julie to take her clothes off and be next. She doesn't, but it sets up a time-bomb that only goes off in the last couple of pages when he finally does get his older sister's clothes off and mo Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1978
Physical description
153 p.; 8.4 inches
ISBN
0671242881 / 9780671242886
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