Home › Best of 2026 › Meet Me in the Garden

Meet Me in the Garden

by Nina Lacour

A family story shaped by longing, art, and migration

Regular price $25.96 USD
Regular price $43.27 USD Sale price $25.96 USD
Save 40%

Hardcover New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    People Most Anticipated

    Identified as a most-anticipated title by People.

  • Critical praise

    Booklist starred review

    Starred review; the review calls the book a masterpiece and an exceptional work of historical fiction.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A family story shaped by longing, art, and migration

Set first in 1944 New Orleans, the novel centers on Odette and her cousin Delphine, whose confidences about love and the futures they want bring them together in a hidden garden. Five years later, Odette is a widowed mother in Los Angeles, while Delphine is passing as white and the cousins have grown apart. Their changing bond links questions of desire, artistic ambition, motherhood, and family across decades. Inspired by Nina LaCour’s Creole roots and family, the story also traces the history of the Great Migration, placing private choices within a broader historical movement.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in multigenerational family stories set across New Orleans and Los Angeles.
  • Readers seeking fiction that engages with Creole identity, the Great Migration, and passing as white.
  • Readers drawn to stories about women’s love, artistic ambition, friendship, and motherhood.

Themes

Family and kinshipDesire and self-discoveryArtistic ambitionCreole identity and passingThe Great Migration

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"A MASTERPIECE that stands as an EXCEPTIONAL work of historical fiction...This character-driven beauty is an immersive, heartfelt TRIUMPH. It is a fantastic MUST-READ that will resonate deeply with fans of Alice Walker and Brit Bennett." --Booklist (STARRED review)

"SWEEPING and PROFOUND." --People (MOST ANTICIPATED)

Featured on NPR'S ALL THINGS CONSIDERED

From BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING author Nina LaCour comes a GORGEOUS FAMILY STORY about self-discovery and love in all forms, inspired by the author's Creole roots

New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and admired in their Creole community. But while Odette's older sisters are content to be wives and mothers, Odette has always wanted something else. It is only with her beloved cousin, Delphine, that Odette can tell her secret: she is in love with a woman, and she longs to be an artist. Delphine has a secret lover, too, a white man. In the hidden garden they've discovered, Odette and Delphine can dream of futures full of passion and freedom.

But five years later, Odette's life is nothing like what she'd planned. She's a widowed mother, living in Los Angeles, and she and Delphine, who is passing as white, have spiraled away from each other. When Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette must make a shattering choice to try to hold her family together.

Profound and expansive, a story of love and longing, art and motherhood, friendship and desire, Meet Me in the Garden is a decades-spanning tour de force, inspired by the author's family and tracing the history of the Great Migration.

Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews