The Girls in the Garden: A Novel

The final section of Girls in the Garden is set 10 months later and from Adele’s perspective. Jewell concludes the theme of Relocation as Escape or Exile through the locations of the characters at the end of the book. After Gordon returned to Africa, Adele gave his room to Tyler. When she runs into Clare on the street near the Tate, Adele tells Clare that “Tyler has all but moved in with us” (403). This movement allows Adele to help Tyler by providing her space and parental attention. Tyler is happier in her new home with the Howes, and her relocation offers hope that she can break the cycle of Generational Trauma Within a Community.

On the other hand, the Wild family leaves the Virginia Park community, escaping the location itself, with Clare commenting, “I don’t think we were cut out for that kind of communal living. All that…exposure…I don’t think we were very good at it” (398). The Wilds prefer more privacy and isolation than Adele and her family, and Clare identifies the park itself as a source of her family’s troubles. Grace also refused to return to the place where she was attacked after leaving the hospital. Clare and Chris find a new home in London, finally settling down after coming together as a family in the hospital.

Jewell also concludes the theme of The Dual Nature of Green Spaces in this final section. Clare says to Adele, “[T]hat’s the thing with a communal space like yours—there’s so much leeway for them to make mistakes” (399). To Clare, the park contains darkness because it is a place where children can be unsupervised. She considers it a dangerous place. However, she recognizes that the communal nature of it allows Adele to help her neighbors. Clare says, “That’s why Virginia Park is the right place for you to live. Because you’re not scared of other people’s problems. Because you’re happy to leave the door open and let those problems just walk straight in” (404). The positive aspects of Virginia Park include Adele’s daughters becoming friends with Tyler, as well as Adele being able to help Tyler and break cycles of generational trauma. Jewell ending the book with Adele’s perspective suggests the positive influence of green spaces, which contrasts with the experience of the Wild family, which opens the novel. This juxtaposition highlights family experiences and puts them at odds with one another, emphasizing the complexity and strangeness of Virginia Park.