The Glass Hotel: A novel

LOCAL AUTHOR

Fans of Station Eleven may be disappointed to know that Emily St. John Mandel’s newest book is a complete departure from the post-apocalyptic genre. But rest assured that Mandel’s writing is as captivating and evocative as ever in The Glass Hotel. While bartending at a luxury hotel on a secluded island, Vincent is startled by a threatening message written on a nearby window. She suspects that her half-brother Paul, a recovering addict and wannabe composer who also works at the hotel, is somehow involved. That same night, Vincent meets hotel owner Jonathan Alkaitis; they quickly begin a relationship, which launches Vincent into the realm of the upper class. But a Ponzi scheme will tear them apart, sending Vincent to sea as a cook on a container ship until she falls from the deck and is never seen again, a tragic plot point that bookends the novel.

The Glass Hotel is a stunning tapestry of interconnected stories that explore corruption, alternate lives, haunting pasts, and consequences. The way Mandel gets inside the heads of her characters and puts their thoughts on the page is masterful. Mysterious, philosophical, and intricate, The Glass Hotel is literary fiction at its finest.