I did something that is rather rare for me: I pre-ordered this novel. The blurb and cover indicated the setting as an island in a remote, rural area that I had visited by sailboat. I wanted to go back. When the book released in March of 2020, I dropped everything to read it.

While I was a tad disappointed that more of the story didn’t take place in this chilly pine forest, I was not disappointed at all by the story. The plotlines of the POV characters wrapped cleverly around each other as the characters enacted the theme: don’t abandon yourself for money. Deft is the adjective that comes to mind.

There are harmonies in this novel with the author’s previous book about a pandemic creating an extra layer of nuance for the savvy reader.

This is a book that sneaks up on you. I will be re-reading it (another thing that is rare for me).

Click below to reveal the title

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel