The Glass Hotel - Emily St. John Mandel

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

The only other novel I've read from Emily St John Mandel was Station Eleven, and I loved that one, but had a tough time starting this one because it's her lowest rated book, and about things (financial crimes, shipping) that I don't care about. Forget all that! This book is great, and Mandel is quickly making her way onto my Mount Rushmore of contemporary authors. The combination of craft and research in her books have really made me a huge fan.

I'm still trying to understand why this book worked so well with me. The main plot points are still things I don't care about, but also the plot is pretty meandering, which I also don't usually love. There is no true main character who wants anything in particular. It's not particularly funny, there is no big emotional payoff. It really has nothing that checks my usual boxes except for one thing: it is beautifully written. I think that Mandel is one of the most talented living writers, and I think I could read her no matter what she wanted to talk about.

So yeah, this book is about a guy who runs a Ponzi scheme, shifting around to like 10 POV characters all somehow connected to him (similar to Arthur in Station Eleven). I loved seeing how all these people and events are related. No idea why it's so satisfying seeing the pieces all fit, but nobody does it better than Mandel. I also mentioned that there are no "good guys" and yet every single character is likeable and interesting. It's one of those rare books where I don't care when it shifts perspective away from my favorites, because they are all my favorites.

One of Mandel's core strengths is describing settings in beautiful ways. I can't describe exactly what it is because I don't have the words, but I know Mandel would! Arresting? Bracing? Maybe even ethereal in a way? Poetic is the word I want to say, but that feels cliche... I dunno! But reading her words feels like you are being transported, and so many of these (the RV, the hotel, the cargo ship, the cafes) are described so romantically that if fills me with... a sense of longing? (no, getting worse). Her prose just seem so nice (there we go) and flowy and effortless.

So yeah, I can kinda understand why some would be underwhelmed by this book, but it totally worked for me. Good writing covers a multitude of sins, so even if there are aspects of this book that one might not enjoy, the writing elevates everything else. Totally recommend.

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