The Cutting Garden: A Graphic Novel

by Darcy Van Poelgeest, Erin Connally (Illustrator)

Genres: Graphic Novels

128 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication September 29, 2026

About the author

Darcy is a multi-award winning writer and director living in Vancouver, B.C. His film work has screened internationally at festivals, broadcast on TV, shown in galleries, and become a best seller on iTunes. His debut comic series LITTLE BIRD (2019) is out now from Image Comics & Glènat Editions.

Reviews

[Juniper L.H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting graphic novel. There was a lot to love, yet unfortunately a few things that didn’t quite work out. Overall, I would say this is worth a read if you find yourself with access to a copy, though I probably wouldn’t recommend to the world that you need to go and seek one out for yourself.

The artwork style was incredible and very well done. This is a beautiful work. The story is interspersed with botanical drawings that were delightful and also worked to help with the overall mood and vibe. The story was interesting and the general atmosphere of the story was enthralling.

On the other hand the story was a little bit light, and there were some parts that were a little too confusing. Leaving some things unsaid and for the reader to piece together is a choice, and it can make a strong story, but it can also leave things feeling somewhat unfinished. This is probably my only main complaint, but its significant.

They also used cursive for the narrator voice which was an interesting choice I haven’t seen before. This led to some readability issues for me as I was reading a digital version and the cursive text isn’t that readable when its small.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

[Eilidh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the blurb for this and was super excited to dive in. I didn’t know where this was going to go and was super interested.

Unfortunately, it just felt a little lacking to me. The characters felt a little flat and lacked depth. I story was interesting but it didn’t pull me in as much as I wished it did.

I was super excited for this but it didn’t feel as flushed out as I hoped for. I think maybe an extra 30 pages would make this amazing.

The art work is incredible though.

💕 Thank you for the arc 💕

[Tintaglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una giovane fiorista sta chiudendo il suo negozio quando una ragazzina, silenziosa e impassibile, le chiede un mazzo di fiori. Sarà troppo tardi l'indomani, dice - e mentre i fiori vengono scelti e composti dalle mani esperte della fioraia, le racconta una storia.
Una storia d'amore? Forse. Una storia di morte? Di sicuro.
Una storia sulla bellezza e la caducità, e su come tutto sia destinato a finire. Ma come solo dalla fine possa nascere altra bellezza.
Una fiaba mostruosa e raffinata, piena di sottintesi, in cui conta più il non detto di quello che viene messo sulla pagina, sia per quanto riguarda l'amore che per quanto riguarda l'orrore; con testi delicati e tavole di struggente, malinconica bellezza, da esplorare continuamente, da gustarsi particolare per particolare.
Unico difetto: il carattere poco leggibile, che costringe a risvegliarsi da quella che è quasi un'ipnosi per decifrare parole e frasi.
Per il resto, impeccabile.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The cutting garden” di Darcy Van Poelgeest è una delicatissima graphic novel, che richiama nei colori e nelle atmosfere delle tavole una fiaba, ambientata nella New Orleans dei primi anni del Novecento, dove l’aria umida sembra sospendere il tempo stesso.

La trama ruota attorno all’incontro tra una fioraia solitaria e una giovane ragazza misteriosa di nome Adeil, che si presenta nel negozio in circostanze insolite. La fioraia, avvezza alla quiete notturna del proprio mestiere, viene avvicinata da Adeil con una richiesta singolare: desidera una composizione floreale, ma non paga in denaro, bensì offre una storia per ogni fiore aggiunto al bouquet. La fioraia, mossa dalla curiosità, accetta questo scambio, e mentre il bouquet si arricchisce, altrettanto si infittisce la rete di associazioni e implicazioni contenute nel racconto di Adeil – dai ricordi di un incontro casuale con un cantante jazz disilluso, a evocazioni di una dimora familiare in rovina, a scorci di una vita idilliaca ma precaria vissuta ai margini.

La trama si svela lentamente, con l’alba che si avvicina (segno temporale e soglia simbolica), e quando la composizione è quasi ultimata, la fioraia tira le fila delle verità convergenti della vita di Adeil e vede le loro ripercussioni sua stessa esistenza ordinata e silenziosa.

L’architettura narrativa attinge a un ricco repertorio di temi che richiamano in qualche modo la tradizione del southern gothic, come la dimora familiare in decadenza, la bambina precoce e potenzialmente inaffidabile, la lavoratrice notturna vincolata alla propria routine, e la stessa New Orleans. Tuttavia, questi elementi sono ricollocati per rendere la trama più densa emotivamente, più profonda con simboli e richiami.

Lo stesso artificio delle storie in cambio di fiori richiama la fiaba e il folklore, che rivisto in chiave moderna si potrebbe anche interpretare come dare forma alla sofferenza attraverso il racconto, così da conferire significato alla propria esistenza.

La contrapposizione tra le protagoniste è ben studiata. Adeil è giovane ma sorprendentemente composta, la sua voce oscilla tra innocenza e consapevolezza, incarna la vulnerabilità e la resilienza. La fioraia, al contrario, è definita dalla routine, dalla taciturnità e dalla padronanza del lessico simbolico dei fiori, da una compostezza che però viene progressivamente destabilizzata dalle storie della ragazza. L’interazione tra le due fa porre domande profonde: che cosa significa ricevere la storia di un altro? Quale responsabilità comporta l’atto dell’ascolto?

Centrale per l’impatto dell’opera è lo stile visivo. Le illustrazioni ad acquerello creano un’atmosfera di morbidezza e fragilità, avvolgendo le tavole in una foschia onirica, e con la sua tendenza alla diffusione e alla trasparenza, mette in scena visivamente l’instabilità della memoria e della fragilità. I colori si fondono, i contorni si sfumano, le ombre si insinuano senza netta delimitazione: questo approccio pittorico rafforza l’atmosfera di decadenza resa mediante sottili gradazioni tonali, quali vernici scrostate suggerite da palette smorzate, giardini incolti evocati da delicati lavaggi di verde.

Il mondo naturale, e in particolare i fiori, è rappresentato con una cura quasi reverenziale. Ogni fiore porta con sé un valore simbolico, richiamando il linguaggio vittoriano dei fiori, e di conseguenza la realizzazione progressiva del bouquet invita il lettore a decifrare le risonanze emotive inscritte in ciascuna scelta botanica.

“The cutting garden” necessita di una lettura attenta che rispecchia il compito stesso della fioraia, ovvero cogliere i dettagli, le variazioni cromatiche, le rivelazioni graduali nel racconto di Adeil, l’eco simbolico di ciascun fiore per cogliere la pienezza del suo significato.

È una graphic novel delicata, effimera, eppure forte perché parla del coraggio silenzioso necessario per raccontare la propria storia e dell’altrettanto necessario coraggio di ascoltarla. Nel silenzio del negozio, tra petali e confessioni sussurrate, Van Poelgeest compone un inno alla fragile alchimia attraverso cui il dolore si trasforma in bellezza, cosicché anche i ricordi vengano strappati al terreno intricato del passato e disposti in trame che, pur temporanee, offrono la consolazione di una tenera rêverie goticheggiante.

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't know how to feel about this one, I don't really hate nor do I really like it. But I feel it lacks something and I'm fine with it not over explaning who Adeil is. I'll just give some examples. I guess, from the blurb alone:

(1) A tender, brutal love story about mothers and daughters - While both are there throughout the story, the relationship of a "daughter" (Adeil) to her mother (Josette) got a little bit overshadowed by the mystery who Adeil really is.

(2) For every new flower the florist adds to the bouquet, Adeil offers another dissonant detail in her story - I love this trope of exchanging a story for something. But it wasn't really shown this way. There's no interruption of story, whether it's the florist asking question regarding the story or any interruption in general. I honestly thought they're just there because it's a creative way to say it's the next chapter or there's a time jump of some kind.

I think the interruption of the story is one of the things I find lacking in this story. Some of parts of the story deserves some question to say the least, but the story is told interrupted.

Now for some non-blurb related:

I have something regarding narrative bubbles that could lead to spoilers, so I won't be talking about that. I'll say the identity of Adeil still leaves me puzzled, I don't what her motive is, but it seems she's just there for Josette. I think I wanted Adeil to be fleshed out just a little bit more.

I also want to talk a little bit about the art, since this is a graphic novel, But I like it that it's not your usual comic book art - it's not inked, just pencils and watercolor. I love the use of color like the having limited colors when portraying some distance between two characters. Since this one is deals about grief some of the pages feels monochromatic, almost, but with warm colors (red/orange) added in because of the light sources like candles or fireplace or because most of the pages took place in the dark/nighttime. It wasn't until later we see color on the pages again, the greens and the blues and daytime - when there's a feeling of hope again.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My honest review is that I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. The story itself is haunting and the artwork is gorgeous. It's done in watercolor so it feels like a dream, or a memory.

This story is full of mystery and it does not end with giving us readers all of the answers. We're left to connect dots on our own or be comfortable with ambiguity. I enjoy books like this. I don't want anything spoon-fed to me and this definitely doesn't. I'm left with a lot of questions, which means I'll be pondering this for a long time. Just when I thought I had something figured out, I realized I had looked the wrong way.

To me, this is a story of creating a life, even if the hand we're dealt is less than wonderful. It's about finding connection. I'll be thinking about this one for awhile.

I want to emphasize again how beautiful the artwork is, including the interlude of various plants and flowers. This was lovely.

[Amity Eagleton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The things that I loved about this story:
The premise - that each part of the story was told along with each flower added to the bouquet.
The atmosphere - the gentle, creeping horror of the situation
The illustrations - the style of illustration, the use of colours and space

Unfortunately, I felt as though I was reading snippets of a larger story, this may have been because the story lacked a lot of dialogue, which is a driving force of a graphic novel. As a result, I found it hard to keep track of what was reality and also to connect to the characters fully. Being an e-book, some of the layout was hindered, we were viewing pages one at a time rather than side-by-side as a spread, which took away from the impact of the art.
I also noticed that some of the bouquet flower illustrations were cut off the edge of the page.

I absolutely will be looking into the author's other work and any future work, because this had a lot of heart and potential.

I kindly received a copy to review through NetGalley.

[Abby Aguilera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley.

I wanted to love this book because I love a graphic novel and I am a southern lady. While it succeeded in some ways, it fell flat for me in others. Hopefully this is adjusted in the final print, but the alternating fonts and the size of those fonts did not feel accessible - I wear glasses and am 28 and really struggled to read this without magnifying the pages on a screen. I kept having to take breaks because I was truly squinting to read when not magnified.

The art is beautiful, but I wasn't as captivated by the story as I hoped to be. The art alone was worth reading the book for, especially the sequence of rot type spread (you'll know what I mean when you see). The fixing of font size accessibility alone would bump this to a 4 star for me!

I was given the opportunity to read this title by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[Hannah Rowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have honestly never read anything quite like this in graphic novel form. First off, the writer and illustrator created something quite beautiful. The watercolor-esque art style mixed with the poetic prose was a match made in heaven. The tone from the get go of the story is immediately unsettling and it never quite… settles. This was a mystery as were the characters, especially Adeil. The story gives you just enough information but still leaves you feeling like you don’t quite know her as a person. That is the brilliance of the storytelling in this. The reader is left to piece the mystery of all the characters together. I thought the ending was wonderful. While there is much tragedy throughout, I’m glad it ended on a lighter note. I honestly would love a short film or movie based on this story! It has stuck with me long after finishing it.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

[Frank Chillura (OhYouRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve read or watched either Let the Right One in or Interview With a Vampire, you’ll see the correlations in the story. This never outright stated that the character is a vampire, but going in context clues, I’m going to assume that.

This was a beautifully depicted graphic novel told through watercolor art. We hear a story that a young girl is telling to a flower shop owner about a death that she needs a bouquet for. This tale is of how Adiel, a seemingly young girl, and Josette, a black woman who lived alone in New Orleans, met and the time they spent together. In the grand scheme of things, they were only with one another for a short time, but it had a great impact on their lives.

I’m sure you’ve read stories about loneliness and wanting a place to belong, but definitely nothing as gorgeous as this.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for my gifted eARC.

[lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

i saw the cover of the cutting garden and instantly knew i needed to read it. there was something about it, like a quiet promise of something dark and beautiful that pulled me in before i even knew what it was about. and once i started, the illustrations absolutely lived up to that first impression. the artwork alone made the experience worthwhile. that said, i’m afraid the story itself went a bit over my head. i could feel that there was something layered and intentional beneath the surface, something symbolic or emotionally complex, but i never fully grasped it. i appreciated the writing style, it had a certain softness and restraint that matched the visuals perfectly. still, by the end, i was left wanting much more. the narrative felt too slight, too fleeting, like a glimpse of something that could have been deeper or more fully developed.

[Keturah Sergeant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant, beautifully illustrated graphic novel. A story of unlikely friendships, of running away, of growing apart, of a mission to reunite a mother with her daughter, one achieved and celebrated with letting go entirely. Haunting and quiet, the story builds tension slowly, the set up unusual and sad, then the story beginning with violence and running and distance and desperation. In the middle there is peace, glorious and settled, flowers bloom and food is abundant and their relationship is good. Then the spiral, the fall, the distance and the finale. It is brilliantly paced for the highest impact, devastating and strange and hopeful.

A beautiful, unique tale, stunningly illustrated and masterfully told.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

An understanded and, for me, quite novel take on vampires and horror in comics. It's got that very gothic horror feel. Almost nothing is shown or even said of it, everything is in the tension and the imagined. It's a story about shared trauma and chosen family. But it's also a story about the darkness we keep to ourselves. It's a really beautiful tale, honestly, but the way it's told mostly through narration and with very few spoken words, makes it a little hard to latch onto. The artwork is pretty gorgeous and fits the tone of the book. I can definitely see this finding it's audience

[Haruka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read!!! The book is breathtaking that i couldn’t stop reading it!! The art, the storyline, the characters took all my attention away!! I wonder what adeil is. That part was vague but i feel sad for her as she decay like that… she reunited josette with her daughter even after a long time…i love everything about the story. The way the story was written. I want moreee something like this!!!
The art are sooooo gorgeous!!!
.
.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this wonderful and amazing book in advance~

[Amelia Suedel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Image comics for a digital copy of this graphic novel in exchange for my review!

What I found really striking about this graphic novel was the watercolor art. It was so beautiful and atmospheric. This was a short and simple story that was interesting but pretty predictable. It was a fun read and I really loved the art but I do wish there was a little more depth to the story. There was quite a bit that was implied or not explained but I would have loved a longer piece that went into more depth.

[Chevonnika · Rating 3 out of 5]

To start off, the art and the cover are beautiful! It is very well done artistically.

I found the scenery and character designs to be very well done, absolutely captivated by the art style.

The story itself is very quick paced, I felt that it could've have benefitted from a bit more character exploration but I understand why the author chose a more vague and mysterious route.

Overall this was an enjoyable comic, very pleasing on the eyes and a very nice short story to accompany.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful, with a thoughtfully chosen color palette that adds depth and atmosphere. As a watercolor fan, I especially appreciated the style and look forward to more of Erin Connally’s work. The dark, gothic tone creates a strong mood throughout.

While I could recognize themes of grief and trauma, I found the story difficult to follow at times.

Thanks to NetGalley, Image Comics, the author and the illustrator for the arc!

[Davina · Rating 5 out of 5]

-REVIEW OF ADVANCED COPY FROM NETGALLEY-
You really have to focus on the details in this to know what's going on but once you do it is so worth it. The art was amazing and the meaning behind the flowers in the bouquet nearly made me cry. The southern gothic feeling of the visuals ties in really well to the darker aspects of the story, honestly so glad that folklore of the south is getting a lot of attention recently. Will DEFINETLY be buying this in print when it's out. Absolutely wonderful.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first ever graphic novel and it was actually pretty cool. The cover is beautiful, the graphics in the inside where very well done and very beautiful. The story itself was very intriguing, it had me hooked from the start wanting to know what was going to happen next. Wish it was longer though. I wanted more from it. But it was a really good read.

[Soledad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the watercolor illustrations in this, it fit the Southern gothic setting so well. Visually brought the story to life. And loved the concept of the flowers added to the bouquet giving us another detail of the story. Thank you to Image Comics and Netgalley for the eARC.