Like everyone, I loved Station Eleven. It's one of those books I would recommend to basically anyone. By which I mean it's a book that I loved, but also one that I think has broad appeal (which is not true of many books that I love). A good friend, who also loved Station Eleven sent me The Glass Hotel for my birthday in June. I think I was half saving it, for when I felt I needed a book to throw myself into perhaps, and half afraid: could it live up to Station Eleven? Maybe that's a silly thing to be worried about (I find myself with similar sentiments thinking about Yaa Gyasi's new book, which I'm very excited for, but also: can it be as good as Homegoing? Perhaps it can. Perhaps, as I've said, this is a silly train of thought.)
I tried not to find out too much about The Glass Hotel before reading it. (I remember having to rush to turn off the radio when I heard Emily St. John Mandel start to be interviewed by Alison Stewart on All of It. Maybe I will go back and listen now.) I had heard it was about a Ponzi scheme, but that was pretty much all I knew ahead of time -- and I can't say that left me feeling particularly interested in reading it. I found the start a little slow. There was jumping around - in time, location, and among characters (familiar to readers of Station Eleven), that I think kept me from being pulled in right away. But the book grew on me. There was one reveal toward the end in particular that really worked for me. And damn if I don't want to go live in a remote luxury hotel at the far end of Vancouver Island after reading this! My urge to compare it to Station Eleven feels like a disservice to The Glass Hotel, but I find it hard to help. I liked it. A lot. I'm going to loan it to my dad, who I believe was the first person I recommended Station Eleven to. (He loved it.)
