The Cement Garden received positive reviews from critics. A reviewer for Kirkus Reviews argued that although one important event in the novel seemed staged for effect, the grim book "is somehow suffused with light and warmth. Having worked such wonders with such intrinsically stunted material, McEwan calls attention to his undeniable talent. If he and his characters can stretch to measure up to that prose, we may be watching a major novelist in the making."[3] Robert Towers of The New York Review of Books deemed The Cement Garden "morbid, full of repellent imagery – and irresistibly readable." Paul Abelman of The Spectator called it "just about perfect", and Blake Morrison declared in The Times Literary Supplement that the novel "should consolidate Ian McEwan's reputation as one of the best young writers in Britain today".[4]
In The New York Times, however, Anne Tyler praised McEwan as a skillful writer but stated that "these children are not--we trust--real people at all. They are so consistently unpleasant, unlikable and bitter that we can't believe in them (even hardened criminals, after all, have some good points) and we certainly can't identify with them. Jack's eyes, through which we're viewing this story, have an uncanny ability to settle upon the one distasteful detail in every scene, and to dwell on it, and to allow only that detail to pierce the cotton wool that insulates him. [...] It seems weak-stomached to criticize a novel on these grounds, but if what we read makes us avert our gaze entirely, isn't the purpose defeated?"[5]
In a review of the film adaptation, John Krewson of The A.V. Club referred to McEwan's original book as a "beautiful but disturbing novel".[6] Kitty Aldridge of The Independent argued in a 2012 article, "McEwan's calm, exquisite sentences lead you into the secret and strange world of the post-war middle-class family, with its unique clash of make-do-and-mend and sexual revolution. Devastating information is relayed in short, cool-headed paragraphs, increasing the charged atmosphere of disorder and horror. [...] The novel is a masterclass in clarity and precision."[7] In a lukewarm review for a stage adaptation of the novel, Charles Spencer of The Daily Telegraph said that the book remains "powerful and disconcerting" despite a narrative that is clearly heavily influenced by Lord of the Flies.[8] Stephen King placed it 66th on a list of books that had influenced him.[9]
In a 2018 article, Elaina Patton of The New Yorker praised the author's extensive discussion of the minutiae of the environment, writing, "McEwan's evocative detail and perfect British prose lend a genteel decorum to the death and decay that surround the family. [...] McEwan's lovers are loathsome, a far cry from the romanticized versions in the 1993 film adaptation. But they're all the more captivating for it."[10] The Cement Garden is David Aaronovitch's favorite McEwan novel.[11] Eileen Battersby of The Irish Times called the book "shocking" and placed it fifth along with The Comfort of Strangers (1981) in her list of recommended books by the author.[12] It was also ranked one of the author's five essential books by Book Marks in 2019.[13]
Controversy
Several critics suggested that the plot bore a close resemblance to Julian Gloag's Our Mother's House. McEwan denied having read that work and no formal charges of plagiarism were filed.[14]
