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The Cement Garden Paperback – January 13, 1994

by Ian McEwan (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 1,733 ratings
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In this "irresistibly readable" (New York Review of Books) tour de force of psychological unease, the Booker Prize winner and bestselling author of Atonement excavates the ruins of childhood and uncovers things that most adults have spent a lifetime forgetting—or denying.

In the arid summer heat, four children—Jack, Julie, Sue and Tom—find themselves abruptly orphaned. All the routines of childhood are cast aside as the children adapt to a now parentless world. Alone in the house together, the children’s lives twist into something unrecognizable as the outside begins to bear down on them.

Don’t miss Ian McEwan’s new novel, Lessons.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Anchor
  4. Publication date
    January 13, 1994
  5. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0679750185
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0679750185
  8. See all details
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The chilling story of the abduction of two teenagers, their escape, and the dark secrets that, years later, bring them back to the scene of the crime. | Learn more

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A novel and a collection of short stories by English writer McEwan offer chilling portraits of sexual obsession.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A shocking book, morbid, full of repellant imagery—and irresistibly readable.... The effect achieved by McEwan's quiet, precise and sensuous touch is that of magic realism—a transfiguration of the ordinary that has far stronger retinal and visceral impact than the flabby surrealism of so many experimental novels." —New York Review of Books

“Possesses the suspense and chilling impact of Lord of the Flies.” —Washington Post Book World

“Darkly impressive.” —The Times

“A superb achievement: his prose has instant, lucid beauty and his narrative voice has a perfect poise and certainty. His account of deprivation and survival is marvellously sure, and the imaginative alignment of his story is exactly right.” —Tom Paulin

“Marvellously creates the atmosphere of youngsters given that instant adulthood they all crave, where the ordinary takes on a mysterious glow and the extraordinary seems rather commonplace. It is difficult to fault the writing or the construction of this eerie fable.” —Sunday Times

"His writing is exact, tender, funny, voluptuous, disturbing." —The Times

"The Maestro." —New Statesman

"McEwan has—a style and a vision of life of his own...No one interested in the state and mood of contemporary Britain can afford not to read him." —John Fowles

"A sparkling and adventurous writer." —Dennis Potter

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor (January 13, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679750185
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0679750185
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 1,733 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Ian McEwan

    Ian McEwan

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    Ian McEwan is a critically acclaimed author of short stories and novels for adults, as well as The Daydreamer, a children's novel illustrated by Anthony Browne. His first published work, a collection of short stories, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award. His other award-winning novels are The Child in Time, which won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award, and Amsterdam, which won the 1998 Booker Prize.

    See more on the author's page
  2. David Aula

    David Aula

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
1,733 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ed
5.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying read for some but a disturbing one for others.…
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
This was McEwan’s first novel, written when he was in his twenties and published in 1978, in part earning him the nickname “Ian Macabre.” That epithet, of course, had long since become outdated, for during the next four decades McEwan had gone on to write dozens more novels, each a stimulating new literary adventure for his readers. Although endlessly refreshing, most of his stories do embody a common theme: human frailty, a focal point in The Cement Garden, albeit handled with the kind of dark humor that will make some readers flinch. His decision to use children as protagonists probably further upset the more captious type, considering how the main characters strayed further and further from the norm as the plot thickened. Still, the absurdity of their behaviors while coping with an isolated existence absent any adults supervision is what made this story so comically entertaining, but while I chuckled aloud as I thumbed through the pages, I was cognizant that the very material I’d found so amusing might be offensive to some people. So let the devout and the sanctimonious be forewarned: this may not be your cup of tea. That said, it’s an incredibly enjoyable read, funny; thought provoking; and masterfully written.
3 people found this helpful
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Kelly Gunderman
4.0 out of 5 stars Unsettling, Disturbing, and Overall a Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2022
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There is...a lot to unpack with The Cement Garden.

First of all, it's my ideal book - incredibly dark and unsettling - a thriller that you won't soon forget. It's hard to find a thriller that truly unnerves me and shakes me to  my very core. The Cement Garden has done just that - it was certainly the kind of book I'm not sure to forget anytime soon.

Also, I feel it's important to point out that The Cement Garden reminds me a lot of Flowers in the Attic. If you are familiar with that book, you know it deals with some difficult situations and dark themes, including incest. You will find a bit of that in The Cement Garden, as well - between Jack and Julie. Honestly, it was quite disturbing, and for a lot of people this will be a deal breaker for whether or not to read this book. While I did find it disturbing, it didn't make me want to quit reading or anything, because it had a lot of other stuff going on in the book and I felt that it was only a minor story arc.

“Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it's okay to be a boy; for girls it's like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading.”

The Cement Garden is told from the point of view of 15 year old Jack, one of four siblings living in a house together with their parents. After the father dies, the mother follows suit shortly after, leaving four children alone. Seventeen year old Julie places herself in charge, much to Jack's dismay, but eventually he concedes and allows her to do as she wishes. The two of them are faced with a challenge: what should they do with their mother, now that she has died? If they alert authorities, they are likely to be separated and placed into foster care or an orphanage. Afterward, the house is likely to be torn down - both things that their mother did not want. So what would they do?

“At the back of my mind I had a sense of us sitting about waiting for some terrible event, and then I would remember that it had already happened.”

With neither of their parents alive, the four of them lack all supervision and are free to take care of themselves - although it doesn't seem as though they are doing a very good job of it. Jack spends his time not bathing, Julie dates older men, and the younger siblings have their own problems.

Will Julie, Jack, Sue, and Tom be able to keep their devastating secret? Or will someone outside the family discover the secret that not only binds them together, but also drives them apart?

I had never read anything else by Ian McEwan. So this was my first foray into his writing style. I hadn't even known this book existed until I was reading a Buzzfeed article on the most disturbing movies ever made, and The Cement Garden made an appearance on the list. I read that it was based on a book by the same name, so I looked it up and decided to give it a go.

I think the most disturbing part of this book was just...what the kids did and how fine they were with it. Like, as a mother, it's pretty frightening to have read this book and seen how the children carried on after their parents died.

It's also important to remember that this book was originally published in 1978. The times back then were quite a bit different than they are now, so the main characters acted way differently than they would in this day and age. Honestly, that was part of the allure with this novel - it was like I set foot in a time machine the entire time I was reading. I love when a book can transport me that way!

The character growth in this novel is just - not what I had hoped. I felt like most of the characters didn't really improve or make themselves better as people. Not every novel has a great character development arc going on, and that's fine. I just feel like maybe they should have improved a little bit from all they had to endure during the novel.

Would I recommend it? Yes, and no. Yes if this type of book is your thing. If you are bothered by death or incest (and those are some pretty big things to be bothered by), this book probably wouldn't be for you. But if you like books like Flowers in the Attic and Lord of the Flies, this is a great read.

I'm not so sure I'd want to watch the movie, though.
11 people found this helpful
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Kate
3.0 out of 5 stars Book Review/Opinion
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2020
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The book came super fast, which was a plus.

Book Review:
I didn't understand the point of this book. It was a very quick read. It resembled the Flowers in the Attic story, but it was weirder, and boring. I know that The Cement Garden novel came first, but still. I would have maybe understood the story better if there was more to it. It just felt like the story didn't add up for me. I mean incest is a very odd subject, and kind of hard to read through. I guess I just didnt understand why there was incest to begin with. I mean the children in the story go through awful things, and are left to their own. But it's like none of the characters had emotion or relatable qualities.

All in all, I love reading. I dont like to say I regret buying or reading a book. But I didn't enjoy this read. I was ready for it to be done the whole time reading it. Just not what I had expected is what I have to say.
2 people found this helpful
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Anna E Furry
2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth it
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020
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If you're hoping that this book with be a little creepy and a little disturbing then don't bother purchasing. The ending is unfinished and unthought out any adult themes are barely mentioned or described and are written from the point of someone who seems like they've never had a sexual encounter in their lives. Most of the book is just bantering between the siblings arguing over a few months time about normal everyday things in the main characters fight with going through puberty being smelly and unliked by his siblings. nothing about this book is creepier disturbing aside from the fact that their mother dies and they decide to bury her in a trunk full of cement instead of calling somebody. Don't waste your time there are much creepier and disturbing books out there than this one.
2 people found this helpful
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Lewis Woolston
5.0 out of 5 stars Short, dark and brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2015
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Sometimes short fiction is the best fiction and I think it's the mark of a great writer when they can capture a world and the lives within that world in the space of less than 200 pages. Clocking in at 152 pages The Cement Garden is on the border between long short story or short novel but either way it's top quality writing.
An English family living in the rundown part of town lose their father to a heart attack then their mother to sickness. The children hide their newly orphaned status and try to continue life as best they can. They experience all the usual trials of puberty and growing up with no guidance as they idle away the days in their ramshackle old house. Dark undercurrents of sexuality, incest and loss bubble away beneath the surface of this book and the author portrays what life is like when you have no-one very well.
Easily read in a single sitting this book will haunt you for weeks afterwards.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2022
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Great read very well written a real page turner nice story telling and imagined and nice ending next novel please
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Mrs. Colleen M. Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars The cement Garden
Reviewed in Canada on July 20, 2019
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Such a gifted writer, he always disturbs me, which is a wonderful thing.
Thank you
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Pete Shields
5.0 out of 5 stars an emotional journey
Reviewed in Australia on August 12, 2019
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that little boy wanting to see the bags of cement. the difficult relationship with the father. how could he bare to write it, it's laid bare to read. gosh life is hard.
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Valentina M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Si legge d'un fiato/Compelling and Breathtaking
Reviewed in Italy on May 29, 2016
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Acquistato e letto per un programma d'esame: l'inglese è semplice e scorrevole. La storia è oscura, a tratti morbosa e inquietante, dato che si mescolano il genere horror con il romanzo realista e psicologico. Diverso rispetto all'ultimo McEwan, sempre modernista ma meno poetico.

I read this novel as a part of the Book list for an English Literature course: the language is fluid and simple. The plot is compelling, obscure, morbid and unsettling, since the author mingles different genres (horror story, realistic novel and psychological novel). It is different from McEwan's last books, always with a touch of Modernist influence thought, indeed, less poetic in style.
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quattro
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent if dark.
Reviewed in Germany on October 15, 2013
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I loved the exploration of the dark side of humanity. This book explores a number of taboos in a realistic and sympathetic way. Well worth reading, my only disappointment was that it was not longer.
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