The Garden is dying. Once an Edenic orchid farm, it has been decimated by the worst hurricane in Florida’s living memory. Its glasshouses are shattered, the surrounding mangroves encroach, and its men are dangerously idle. When Romeo – an expert breeder of the endangered ghost orchid – arrives from Honduras, boss Blanchard and his Irish lieutenant, Swallow, believe their fortunes are on the rise.

Romeo may not be all he seems though, and Swallow can sense the newcomer shaking the Garden’s creaking hierarchy. The ghost orchid they seek is infamously rare, a delicate and wildly valuable species, hidden deep in the treacherous cypress swamps of the Fakahatchee Strand. To capture the ghost, Blanchard and Swallow must strike a deal with Logan, a dangerously unpredictable member of the local Seminole tribe, whose wounded pride, and simmering web of violence threaten to uproot any hope of success. As Blanchard’s obsession distracts him from what is truly precious, Swallow’s long-buried traumas will test his ability to stop lust, betrayal and death from engulfing the Garden.

Paul Perry’s first solo novel tells of smothering power, loyalty and agency thwarted by the tragic patterns of memory and behaviour. The Garden is a modern fable, and a warning against trespassing upon nature in the name of profit.

The Garden is dying. Once an Edenic orchid farm, now it lies in the aftermath of the worst hurricane in Florida’s living memory. Its glasshouses are shattered, the surrounding mangroves encroach, and its men are dangerously idle. So when Romeo, an expert breeder of the endangered ghost orchid, arrives from Honduras, the keeper of the Garden, Blanchard, and his Irish right-hand man, Swallow, believe their fortunes are on the up.

But Romeo may not be what he seems, and Swallow can’t shake the feeling that the newcomer threatens the Garden’s creaking hierarchy. The ghost orchid is infamously rare, a delicate and wildly valuable species, hidden deep in the sweltering and treacherous cypress swamps of the Fakahacthee strand. To capture it, Blanchard and Swallow must strike a deal with Logan, a dangerously unpredictable member of the local Seminole tribe. The Seminole are exempt from the laws protecting the endangered species of the glades, but Logan’s wounded pride, and the simmering ebb of violence threaten to uproot any hope of success. As Blanchard’s obsession distracts him from what is truly precious, Swallow’s long-buried traumas test his ability – and desire – to prevent the lust, betrayal and death that engulf the Garden.

Under a relentless Florida sun, Paul Perry’s first solo novel is a tale of smothering power, loyalty and agency thwarted by the tragic patterns of memory and behaviour. The Garden is a modern fable, and a warning against trespassing upon nature in the name of profit.

"'Atmospheric and absorbing ... an exceptional novel that lingers long in the memory'

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The power of this novel is generated by an urgent evocation of place and of time. South Florida’s extremity of character emanates in part from a collision between the uncontrollable power of nature and the uncontrolled greed of humanity. 

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Part modern parable, part noirish thriller, The Garden is an intriguing, atmospheric read where you can almost taste the salty sweat on every page.

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a gripping and finely calibrated morality fable with dark slippery textures.

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This is a superb read, a modern fable of exceptional depth that defies categorisation in terms of genre. From its beautiful cover to its turbulent conclusion, it’s a summer must-read.

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When the bullets start to fly, you'll find yourself genuinely concerned about the fate of Swallow and his cohorts. This is down to Perry's compassion for his characters. He doesn't judge them for their sins, but the darkness at the heart of The Garden reminds us that someone else might.