By Kaylie Seed
The Glass Hotel came out in early 2020 and was shortlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize, which is awarded annually to a Canadian author. The Glass Hotel was certainly deserving of this recognition, as it is incredibly well written and engaging. The story begins when a frightening message is left on the window of the Hotel Caiette—a glass and cedar hotel in a fictional Vancouver Island town. As the story progresses, the reader learns about an international Ponzi scheme that has connections with the hotel.
Mandel’s main character is Vincent, a young woman who is doing her best to get through life while running from the past. Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, and is an incredibly independent woman. She is also someone who will make choices that benefit herself first. Vincent sees a chance to escape her life when she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, an older man looking for some companionship. As the story progresses, the reader learns about Vincent’s life with Jonathan, and what happens when they get swept up in a legal battle.
Mandel dives into themes of addiction and family dysfunction, and also looks at how one person’s life can change dramatically, how nothing is ever set in stone. The Glass Hotel is a great story that shows us not only how our lives can change in an instant, but also how they can evolve over time. Vincent’s life illustrates this throughout the novel.
As The Glass Hotel jumps around through past, present, and future, it conveys to us how short life truly is. At times the reader may wonder where the story is going, or what is happening—it might take some time to figure out the puzzle of this story, but in the end it will leave the reader satisfied. Emily St. John Mandel will entice readers to continue reading well past their bedtime.