Book Review: Glass Hotel

Glass Hotel
by Emily St. John Mandel
Review by Alex A

Part of a loose trilogy along with Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility, Glass Hotel is a study of invisible but potent moments of connection, decision and accident, the effects of which radiate through lives.

Written in hypnotic, measured prose, this was a serene and melancholy read. Following a cast of nuanced characters – a bartender on a remote Canadian island, a mogul at the top of a Ponzi scheme, a former drug addict-turned-artist – each chapter serves as a piece of a montage which gradually expands into a sweeping tale of human failings, delusion and impermanence.

Through her evocative and deft writing, this book never felt overly heavy or depressing – her prose paints every scene so delicately that I found myself pausing periodically to fully enjoy certain passages.