The Garden of Time

This is an interesting story in that when you think it's about one thing it's about another. And the swells and changes in plot are so subtle, yet clear that they happen, that you don't realize that they are happening when they do happen.
The title implies that the story is about a garden that can turn back time. But towards the end it's almost like it makes time. There is also a huge perspective shift that goes on here. One theme does somewhat prevail in the end: the nightmarish feel of impending doom. In many ways this feels like a horror story. Overall though it's hard to classify. It almost seems like a strange fabled fantasy. People become statues while a painting of hordes of people becomes real. There are so many ways to interpret this, though I almost feel like initially he thought he just had a really neat concept for a story.
General note: One thing I have noticed is that sometimes it is hard to get into J.G.'s stories immediately. They almost always start with something abstract or mundane, where you're really not sure where it's going or what the character's are about. However, all but one of the stories I've read come around in the end with incredible strength. He's very much like H.P. Lovecraft in the way that he will give you details that seem minute and random in the beginning, or maybe there just to give the story flavor, and by the end they become extremely important. I really dig that about both authors actually.
The only problem with that style of writing is like I said earlier, it's harder to get into right away. Even if they have a really engrossing first line, I almost am always lost in the first couple of paragraphs, trying to feel my way around the direction of the story. My best suggestion to the reader: do the whole thing in one sitting, everything fits together better and they're not very long and in the end you'll think "damn that was awesome."