The Glass Hotel

Revelations. The canvas of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel titled, The Glass Hotel, involves the whole world from 1958 to 2029. I apologize for that spoiler, because the canvas takes a while to uncover. Mandel delivers scenes, narrators and time periods that gradually reveal their connections. The complex characters are so finely drawn that we can anticipate behavior well in advance as we participate through reading in the revelations of what may have been present all along. Protagonist Vincent is a talented bartender in a remote luxury hotel. She is also a prolific filmmaker whose structure involves five minute takes of what seems like nothing. The owner of the hotel, Jonathan Alkaitis, heads a successful investment firm that manages money. We learn early on that his success comes from the Ponzi scheme he has been running. Vincent leaves the hotel to join Alkaitis in a role where most consider her as his wife. As the opaque becomes transparent and what seems transparent become opaque, Mandel leads readers on a delightful reading journey that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase The Glass Hotel from amazon.com.