Praise for The Girl in the Garden Readers will come to understand and love [Wallace's characters] as they begin to understand and love themselves and each other...Wallace deftly handle their interactions with one another, and her ability to share how those interactions become meaningful as they grow to know and trust each other. Indeed, the menagerie of characters are at the heart of this story, and Wallace's treatment of their growing and healing relationships lend themselves to deep interest and high praise... the girl in the garden, June, serves as a catalyst for contemplating the themes Wallace is concerned with: alienation, family, relationships, loss, love, and the courage life often demands-all of which are handled poignantly and powerfully. If there were a library shelf for Resilience or Human Spirit, The Girl in the Garden would surely be shelved there. -NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS Powerful. . . . The book focuses on the resiliency of the human spirit. Wallace makes use of long, unconfined sentences to build the many distinctive voices and has a knack for teasing out important details. This is a quiet, contemplative novel that builds slowly and leaves a lasting impact. - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Wallace's poignant novel is, at once, a portrait of a small, coastal, New England town; a bit of a mystery; and a completely engaging study of an odd mix of characters whose lives become intricately intertwined. . . . Wallace writes with poetic sensitivity as she delves into their lives and backstories, quickly engaging the reader in this close-knit community and the many secrets it harbors. - BOOKLIST Lovely. . . [A] sensitive salvation story. - KIRKUS REVIEWS In this exceptional novel, Melanie Wallace conveys the depths and complexities of life in a seemingly uneventful New England village. The Girl in the Garden strikingly affirms Eudora Welty's belief 'that one place understood helps us understand all other places better.' -Ron Rash, author of Serena and Above the Waterfall