Plain suggests that the emotional intensity of The Hanging Garden could not be sustained in the following novel, Dead Souls, since the continued "twisting of the knife" leads to a bleakness that becomes "static.
plˈeɪn sədʒˈɛsts ðætðɪ ɪmˈoʊʃənəl ɪntˈɛnsᵻɾi ʌvðə hˈæŋɪŋ ɡˈɑːɹdən kʊd nˌɑːt biː səstˈeɪnd ɪnðə fˈɑːloʊɪŋ nˈɑːvəl, dˈɛd sˈoʊlz, sˈɪns ðə kəntˈɪnjuːd "twˈɪstɪŋ ʌvðə nˈaɪf" lˈiːdz tʊ ɐ blˈiːknəs ðæt bɪkˈʌmz "stˈæɾɪk.