The Glass Hotel is a story that spans over decades as we follow a group of people, many of whom are unconnected except for one vital thing - a Ponzi scheme run by a man called Jonathan Alkaitis. The story follows Vincent, who becomes Jonathan's wife (but not wife) before his downfall, and who then disappeared from a ship at sea years later. We also follow Paul, Vincent's troubled older half-brother and a variety of other people connected to Alkaitis; people in on the money-making scheme as well as those who were ruined because of it.

I have read Sea of Tranquility, the author's most recent book at the time of writing, and I had heard it had connections via some characters to The Glass Hotel. So it was exciting in a way to read this, and see Paul and meet Vincent properly, as well as knowing that the world of The Glass Hotel is also that of Sea of Tranquility meaning moon living, deadly flu pandemics and time travel are all possibilities in this world and none of the characters know it yet.

I enjoyed this as a quiet story, as almost snapshots of people's lives who were all affected by a greedy man who wanted to make money - while at the same time, the greedy man himself Alkaitis isn't necessarily a huge villain of a character. There is melancholy and sadness in this book as many of the characters in it are touched by loss or death in some way - be it a person, or a loss at a future way of living such as Leon, and Walter. And there's also the ongoing mystery of what happened to Vincent when she disappeared off the ship, and whose mother years earlier also disappeared at sea.

The writing in this is beautiful and lyrical, with character that feel real and vulnerable which is what I know Emily St John Mandel exceeds at.

While I'm not sure if this is a story that will stay with me for a long time, I did enjoy reading it.