Sara Nisha Adams is a writer and editor. She lives in London and was born in Hertfordshire to Indian-Kenyan and English parents. Her first novel was The Reading List. Her latest novel is The Twilight Garden and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for The Twilight Garden?
The idea of The Twilight Garden came to me when I was staring out of the top floor window in the top floor flat I lived in Stoke Newington, gazing down at the overgrown, beautifully wild garden below, which belonged to our downstairs neighbours. We didn’t really know our neighbours at all at the time, and I wondered what it might be like if the garden were a shared garden and what all the ups and downs might be along the way. That’s when Bernice and Winston came to me, as well—they are two very different people who share one wild garden in need of some care, and show how gardening and working together help them cultivate a friendship too. So really, writing about a garden was very much wish fulfillment for me at the time—for an outdoor space and neighbours who might become friends!
Are Alma, Maya, Bernice, Winston, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
None of the characters are based on specific individuals, though I’m sure some of their characteristics are inspired by people I know and love, and I’m often taking bits of myself and putting them into my characters, too (often without me even realizing until a friend says ‘oh, this is what you’re like!’ when they read them…)
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I knew what I wanted the book to feel like when I wrote the first draft—I had all the characters there, and I felt like I really knew them—they’d lived in my head for months before I even put pen to paper—and I really wanted the sense of community and connection in Alma and Maya’s story to shine through immediately, contrasting with the loneliness in the start of Bernice and Winston’s story. But the first draft was pretty much just a snapshot of the final novel. It was ‘all feeling’ and no substance, I think! And as I edited the novel, the individual character arcs became clearer to me and hopefully to the reader as well! It feels such a long time ago now that I can’t remember if there were any specific scenes that I had to let go of, but with this draft, it was much more a case of drawing the characters and the storyline out rather than cutting back, so to me, the published version feels more ‘true’ to my idea of the story than that first draft.
As I was writing the book, it became so clear to me that I could have written a whole novel about Alma and Maya—and another about Bernice and Winston—so perhaps, in another world, I would write two separate books within the same world. There’s so much to both stories that would be great to explore in much more depth.
In your Acknowledgements, you seem to indicate that you live, or used to, in Stoke Newington. Do you still live there? If not, when did you live there? What drew you to set The Twilight Garden in this neighborhood?
I lived in Stoke Newington a few years ago now, for several years. At the time, we knew very few of our neighbours, despite knowing their taste in music or favourite TV shows—having heard it through the terrace walls. One of our neighbours used to stop and chat to us when she saw us out and about—which was so lovely, and it became so clear to me then that there was a time when neighbours invited each other over for tea, had chats over the fences, so I wanted to imagine that world in the novel too, depicting the change over time, and how the shared garden might help bring that community spirit back again
Do you have a favorite place (or two) in Stoke Newington? A hidden gem that someone visiting should not miss but would only learn about from a resident?
One of my favourite places is Stoke Newington Bookshop, of course, which I believe has been there for over thirty years! I don’t think it’s a hidden gem because it’s so well loved far and wide, but it deserves all the love. The booksellers there are so lovely, and they always have brilliant book recommendations. it’s quite a big bookshop, so you can lose yourself browsing the shelves. When I lived in Stoke Newington, I was there every weekend—and even now I live a bit further away, it’s still my closest (and favourite) bookshop.
And then I’ve got to shout out Rasa—again, not really a hidden gem because it’s fairly well known, but the food there is delicious and is still my go-to if I want a masala dosa!
Winston loves London so much! The same questions for London in general: Do you have any favorite places? Hidden gems that someone visiting should not miss but would only learn about from a resident?
I’m going to say Tottenham Marshes—which is completely beautiful in every season and a place I was so grateful for during lockdown. It feels quite amazing to have such an expanse of wilderness so close to the city—and from certain spots, you can see the city skyline in the distance. The variety of birds and wildlife there is so enchanting that I love walking around there when I need a little time to escape.
Do you enjoy gardening? Do you have a garden where you live or a community garden? Have you ever had or shared an allotment? If you have or have had a garden or allotment, have you ever had to deal with foxes?
I have a garden now, and I think for any urban gardener, you’re always going to have to deal with foxes! In our first year of having a garden, there were several (adorable!) fox cubs who used to use our flower beds as little play areas. They would bring us freshly washed clothes off people’s washing lines, and some not so freshly washed clothes too...while simultaneously destroying all our flowers and eating the salvias (to my partner’s dismay)! Every morning was like a trepidatious treasure hunt to see what they had brought us next! They were so cute though destructive—and were somehow terrified of our cat—but now that our garden has established itself a bit more, one of our resident foxes just curls up in the sunshine, which is a little less chaotic.
Have you ever had difficult neighbors? Did you become friends?
We’ve never had difficult neighbours—mostly, we just didn’t know our neighbours and really wanted to but didn’t know the best way to say hi! But during lockdown, we were lucky that we had moved somewhere with a garden, and we were able to chat with our neighbours over the garden fence and that community we’ve always been searching for in London that we weren’t sure where or how to find has now established itself, and we’re really lucky that we know lots of our neighbours, and we all get on really well.
In our last interview, for The Reading List, you said that the question you were hoping someone would ask you was which of the characters from that novel you would most like to meet in real life. Is there a character, or characters, from The Twilight Garden you would like to meet in real life?
I would so love to meet Alma and Maya—sitting around the Formica kitchen table, drinking chai, hearing Alma complain about Maya’s cooking. I would talk to them about everything they loved about the Stoke Newington they knew, their community and the lives they lived. I love all the characters in The Twilight Garden, but Alma and Maya hold a very special place in my heart. I wrote this book predominantly during the pandemic, where seeing friends and family wasn’t allowed—and Alma and Maya, in particular, became that family for me...
What's currently on your nightstand?
I have some coasters, a ceramic pot, two lamps (for some reason?), and my morning pages notebook and pen. More importantly, though, on the shelf above my nightstand, I’ve got Etaf Rum’s Evil Eye, which I’m really looking forward to reading next.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, tv, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
I recently went to an art exhibition for local artists in my hometown because my partner’s work was showcased there too, and I just loved seeing the range of artwork on the walls, the different styles and motifs, and it was so inspiring to see art by so many talented people who love what they do.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just finished writing the first draft of my third novel. I don’t think I can say very much just yet, but it’s a story about a mother, who is an artist, and her daughter finding their way back to each other and the community of artists that become their found family. There’s still a lot of work to do on it, but I’m really excited about these characters and their story.
In her debut novel, The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams celebrated reading, stories, and the joy that comes when one moves from reading being a solitary pursuit to one that is shared and celebrated. In The Twilight Garden, Adams takes readers outside, as she celebrates gardens, gardening, and, again, how much better both are when shared.
Adams creates a marvelous cast of characters to populate the London neighborhood of Stoke Newington. She accomplishes this in two separate time periods, decades apart, with just a bit of overlap. Her characters are as diverse as London’s population and are recognizable and relatable.
The Twilight Garden is a gentle novel that encourages us to reach out and connect with those in our immediate vicinity. It celebrates community and illustrates how both the ups and downs of living are made better shared. And don’t be surprised if, after reading the last page, you feel a strong urge to find a place where you can try your hand at planting some seeds or bulbs and waiting to see what develops. Hopefully, doing it with a friend, old or new.