Paradise Garden - Book Review
Genre: Literary fiction
Author: Elena Fischer (translated by Alexandra Roesch)
Year: 2023
Pages: 304
I tend to get a lot of book recommendations from people with similar reading tastes online, so I was pleasantly surprised to pick Paradise Garden from my local bookstore knowing nothing about it. I must admit, the cover intrigued me, but Fischer’s coming-of-age story hooked me from the first page. This is your sign to trust your instincts and choose a book that appeals to you, not just basing your purchases solely on reviews!
Fourteen-year-old Billie lives a quiet life in a high-rise housing estate with her single mother, Marika. Their money just about stretches to dinner of pasta with ketchup at the end of each month. But to Billie, her life is a paradise, lit up by her mother’s imagination and big heart.
They soon receive an unwelcome visit from her Hungarian grandmother, and Billie’s colourful life begins to dim. When an unexpected tragedy occurs, Billie is no longer able to ask her mother questions about her past, about Billie’s life outside of the confines of the housing estate. Armed with her mother’s Nissan and dreams of an ocean she’s never seen, Billie sets out on a journey to find her father, and soon, herself.
I absolutely adored this book. The writing is so lyrical and moving that I ended up annotating my copy. Now, I don’t annotate and haven’t felt the urge to highlight passages since my university days so this was a big deal for me! I actually had a mild panic after highlighting a couple of sentences, like I had wrecked the book, but then got into a bit of a groove.
You really feel for Billie, how her childhood seems normal to her; her adaptability in her way of living, not finding it odd that her mum doesn’t have a bedroom of her own so sleeps on an air mattress in the living room, that they eat spaghetti with tomato sauce at the end of the month because they’re run out of money - there’s a clever subtlety about seeing these experiences through the eyes of Billie, that she doesn’t find this strange but the reader would. Billie really tries to find some sort of magic in this life of hers, that it might not be perfect but it’s something that’s carved out just for her and her mother.
“Our outing to the lake was like taking a last deep breath before someone pushes your head underwater.”
The writing is sparse too, not mincing any words but the words used pack a punch, conveying the complexities and emotions of our small cast of characters. I really liked the recurring motif of water, and how it’s connected to grief, home and sense of self throughout the story. When the tragedy of the book occurs, it’s like a spark has gone out of the story too in a way; through Billie’s eyes, her mother seems so full of life.
I had a book-shaped hole in my heart after finishing Paradise Garden. I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time. I think Fischer’s debut novel has quickly become one of my favourite reads. It’s definitely a book you could read again and again, and get more from it, which I’m very much looking forward to doing in the future.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / 5 stars