A Poignant Story
A Garden to Keep is a beautiful, poignant story of a woman?s life. Two momentous things happen in the life of Elizabeth Landis on the same day. One, she becomes a born again Christian, and two, she discovers that her husband is having an affair. The story retraces Elizabeth?s life as she looks back on her marriage: how she and her husband met, and how their relationship progressed and gradually deteriorated over the years.
The story deals not only in the past, but also in how Elizabeth and her husband deal with the present situation. Turner doesn?t shy away from difficult issues like separation and divorce. She also looks ahead to the future, asking questions such as: Are forgiveness and reconciliation possible?
This novel is beautifully penned in true literary form. It is written in a style that frequently flashes back and forth between present and past. This may be disconcerting for some readers although it seemed to me an excellent way to mirror Elizabeth's inner struggles. Full of quirky characters who are just as flawed as we are, this bittersweet tale often pulls the reader between tears and laughter. Turner?s story is compelling in that we can so easily relate to her characters, their foibles, attitudes, and actions.
