Review: A Beautiful Story of Friendship
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2014
Molly Dean’s “The Twilight Garden” opens with the three most important elements of the story—Daniel who discovers Kat and the titular garden.  While the garden serves as a backdrop and metaphor for the two main characters, Daniel and Kat, who literally and figuratively grow and mature as the story progresses.  While I wasn’t certain reading a coming-of-age story would offer anything new, I was pleasantly surprised and drawn in by Dean’s characters and writing style that offered easy access to a timeless world.Dean’s story centers on ten year old Daniel, who is spending the summer with his Aunt Margo at his Great Aunt Delilah’s house which also has the Twilight Garden.  Delilah may or may not be off on a mission to find her “missing” daughter, but her house attracts all manner of interesting and unique characters, including Kat.  A wonderful counter and sometimes foil for Daniel, the friendship between the two young characters carries the bulk of the story.“The Twilight Garden” is a summer adventure that almost reads like a series of interlaced vignettes on the theme of growing up and growing old.  Dean populates the story with a host of characters that start with the young and exuberant Kat, and run all the way up through the old and exuberant Colonel Pepperidge (a personal favorite).  Readers may have two concerns about the story, but fortunately they are not major issues.  First, the timeline for all the events that takes place is squeezed into just a few short weeks.  For all the occurrences and adventures that Daniel, Kat and the rest of the characters have, this feels far too short.  Second, the degree of maturity and emotional depth of Daniel (and to a lesser extent Kat) at times far exceeds his ten year old character, making a reader think of a much older teenager.  Fortunately, these issues are not detrimental to the story or the plot at all.Molly Dean’s “The Twilight Garden” is a fascinating look into the summer adventures of growing up and growing old.  The flow of the story and the believability of the characters is never in question.  Readers will enjoy navigating through the flowers and weeds of life as Dean portrays them, watching as friendships blossom and grow.