Episode Details

Salley Vickers wrote her latest novel in a Wiltshire cottage during lockdown. She talks to Johnny about the importance of gardening while writing, Shropshire's historic pagan landscapes, and the complications of family relationships. 

Click here to order a copy of The Gardener; choose to collect from Sandoe's or have us post it to you. 

Two sisters buy a rambling house in the Welsh Marches. One decides to bring the neglected garden back to life with the help of an Albanian migrant living in the nearby village. The work allows her space to contemplate her complex relationship with her sister and their difficult upbringing. Characteristically evocative and perceptive. 

Edited by Magnus Rena 

Music: Nick Drake, Man In A Shed