Jo Verity’s debut novel is a fascinating read. The story is a straightforward tale of four sets of middle-aged friends who jointly buy a large rambling farmhouse in Wales
For any novelist it’s quite a challenge having a group of eight main characters and creating sufficient differentiation between them that a reader can easily remember them and readily identify just who is who. I must admit that I resorted to making a little list of the four couples, just so that I could remember who was married to whom.
Also Peter and Mark are hardly mentioned, leaving just the six main characters to juggle, along with a large supporting cast of daughters, boyfriends and friends. The good news is that Jo Verity juggles with consummate ease, and she creates a readable and plausible story which relies more on emotions than upon simple plot devices.
Not everything in this particular garden is rosy and eventually the plot takes a progressively darker tone. I’d be interested to see Jo try writing a dark thriller; I have a feeling she’d be quite successful.
If I am being picky I think she could have concentrated a little more on the character of Prosser in the earlier stages of the book, particularly as he has such a key part to play later on. But her real strength as a writer is revealed in her deft handling of the character of Anna who is utterly believable with a credible voice. I found myself rooting for Anna on many levels, which must be a testament to the empathy that Jo manages to create.
If I’m being honest I think I would have to say that as a novel I preferred “Not Funny Not Clever” more. However given that this novel is a much earlier work it is well worth reading to see a writer honing her craft. For me “Everything in the Garden” is well worth cultivating.
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