The Glass Hotel Review

Earlier this year, I read Station Eleven and absolutely loved it, so I was so excited about the release of Emily St John Mandel’s next book The Glass Hotel. It follows the story of a woman named Vincent, which I was sure was a reference to poet Edna St Vincent Millay (I was right), and the series of dramatic turns her life takes. Her story also intertwines with shipping executive, Leon, and mega-rich finance guy, Jonathan, and hinges on their encounter together at the remote Hotel Caiette in British Columbia.

Mandel’s writing style is gorgeous and feels like putting on a cashmere cardigan, even when the story itself takes a dark turn, which The Glass Hotel definitely did. I found the multiple stories and themes in this book to work very well, to my ears (I listened to the audiobook read by Dylan Moore), and felt satisfied with the characters and story arcs, even where some details are left as mysteries. I’ve seen other reviews which point out that there is a lot going on in 300 pages (a Ponzi scheme, the shipping industry, intellectual property theft, multiple investigations into possible crimes, dementia, ghosts, prison, and poverty), but I think that removing any aspects of the whole would change the vibe and experience of the book. Mandel’s observations on money and how it changes those who have it, as well as poverty (and the constant anxiety of living without health insurance in the US), are very on point.

There were at least two references to Station Eleven that I caught, and to say I was excited is an understatement. Most of all, this book made me want to move to the Hotel Caiette — it’s an introvert’s dream and I would have liked to spend quarantine alone in that building.