The Gardener is written in very sparse and unadorned language but it provides a searing look at quiet pain and inexpressible grief. It's subtlety is almost surprising for Kipling, unless you know that Kipling's only son John was killed in the war, his body never positively identified. When Helen describes filling empty hours serving on a committee to build a war memorial in their village, it might almost be Kipling describing his own actions; he served on the Imperial War Graves Commission, planning the layout of British military cemeteries. Helen's possible- maybe probable- deception about Michael's actual parentage may hint at Kipling's guilt over his son's death. John was initially rejected- twice- for military service due to his poor eyesight. Rudyard Kipling used his influence, however, to get him accepted into the Irish Guards. He was killed in his first battle at the age of 18.
The Gardener is plainly told, quietly sad, and surprisingly complex. Its portrayal of grieving loved ones standing amidst the thousands of crosses "row on row"- what Kipling referred to as "a Dead Sea of arrested lives"- is poignant and deeply moving. I strongly recommend it as Remembrance Day reading. It can be found here: The Gardener