And where a mysterious message shows up on the glass in the lobby. Or maybe the Glass Hotel itself? The bright beacon in the wilderness, where Vincent’s life turns on a dime. But she was ill at ease around the household staff and the caterers, because she feared that it anyone from her home planet were to look at her too closely, they’d see through her disguise. She copied their modes of dress and speech, and cultivated an air of carelessness. She had studied the habits of the monied with diligence. Or Vincent, Paul’s younger half-sister, who has the amazing ability to continuously re-invent herself. I don’t hate Vincent, he told himself silently, I’ve only ever hated Vincent’s incredible good fortune of being Vincent instead of being me, I only hate that Vincent can drop out of high school and move to a terrible neighbourhood and still somehow miraculously be perfectly fine, like the laws of gravity and misfortune don’t apply to her. Should I start with Paul, who plays a big part at the beginning but then drops off as other characters pick up? There are so many things going on in this book that it’s hard to know where to begin…

What a joy to experience the story and characters through her intricately woven plot and beautiful prose. That also means readers are expecting a lot from this novel, and I think Mandel was able to deliver. I think most of us have heard of The Glass Hotel by now, after the huge success of Mandel’s previous novel Station Eleven.

The glass house book emily st john