The Glass House, orwas published in 2020. It was written by Sunday Times bestselling author Eve Chase and
The Glass House was and I was instantly intrigued by the premise.
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Plot
The narrative unfolds over two timelines. Back in the 1970s, a grief-stricken Jeannie Harrington suffers a great tragedy. Along with the nanny “Big Rita” and two children, Hera and Teddy, Jeannie is sent to Foxcote Manor by her husband, Walter. The hope is that a summer in the remote manor house, located in an atmospheric and mysterious forest, will help ease her grief.
The plan doesn’t seem to be working until one day a baby is discovered in the woods. A foundling looking for a new home. The baby gives them all hope; a little ray of sunshine in a world full of darkness. They take her in and hide her from the authorities. In the forest, normal rules don’t seem to apply. However, their idyllic summer has to come to end. A body is found within the grounds of the house and their dreams of a perfect family shatter like glass. Years on, the next generations are left to piece together the puzzle.
In the present day, Sylvie is facing multiple shocks, one delivered by her 18-year-old daughter and the other when her mother suffers a terrible accident. Faced with the conundrum of what family really means, Sylvie starts to delve into the secrets of her own past. The two stories intertwine as we discover what really happened that summer at Foxcote Manor.
The Glass House Book Review
I loved how Eve Chase created a mystical and enchanting atmosphere throughout the story. As with the marshland in Where The Crawdad Sings, the forest is so vividly described it almost becomes a character in its own right. The animals, the sounds, the sights and the textures are so vividly described it makes the forest come alive.
An expert storyteller, Chase drops clues throughout the narratives allowing the reader to piece together the puzzle. The dual timelines work really well and the flipping of the perspectives made me want to keep reading. I also loved the symbolism of the glass terrariums. While the forest imagery often conjured visions of uncompromising savagery, the glasshouses emphasised the fragility of happiness. We see how easily contentment can be shattered.
The story does contain A LOT of coincidences but if you can suspend your disbelief as I did, the storytelling more than makes up for it. I can’t even bring myself to knock off a star for it!
It’s a novel full of immersive descriptions and engaging characters and I got swept up in it all. I loved it!
This book was featured as a Richard and Judy Book Club pick.
What should I read after The Glass House?
If you enjoyed The Glass House by Eve Chase, I’d definitely recommend you read her other novels. Black Rabbit Hall and The Birdcage were both brilliant reads.
If you enjoy Eve Chase’s style of writing, I think you would also enjoy Vita and The Birds by Polly Crosby and The Beloved Girls by Harriet Evans.
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