A thrilling and captivating story showing that not everything is as perfect as it seems.
Dates Read: 24/03/2022 to 27/03/2022
Star rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Word to describe: Stunning
Genre: Domestic Fiction
TW: Miscarriage, teenage pregnancy, abortion mention, mental health, binge eating disorder, self-harm, abusive relationship, and grief.
**Please note all of the trigger warnings that are associated with this book. It is heavily focused on pregnancy, children, and the loss of a child. These themes are seen throughout this book and are a key plotline for this story.**
The Glass House was one of those books that I didn't particularly feel drawn to but it was on offer for 99p at the time (and it was free a BorrowBox as an audiobook loan). It was an impulse buy to add to my TBR without breaking my spending limit. Since I have read it I can say with certainty that this book deserves way more than a 99p deal! It was an entirely unexpected read that showcased brilliant plot lines, lovable characters, and still found the time to break generation trauma. Eve Chase definitely worked overtime when writing this book.
From a multi-POV (point of view), this book shows how the past influences the present day in the lives of Rita, a nanny for an upper-class family The Harringtons, Sylvie, Rita's daughter in the present day, and Hera, the thirteen-year-old daughter in The Harrington family. In the past, Rita and the Harringtons minus the rich father are forced to move into their country home after the property in London is destroyed in a fire. From this, many secrets are revealed about the family's past - including the reality behind the death of the Harrington baby moments after birth. Readers get to see the impact of loss on the family with Hera's compulsive eating and attraction to fire and Jeannie's (Mrs Harrington's) mental health decline. Despite the stigma toward mental health problems by Mr Harrington, this book brilliantly explores these themes of depression, anxiety, grief, and loneliness.
In the present tense, Rita's daughter Sylvie is dealing with parallel circumstances with the loss of her mother's accident and the *spoiler* teen pregnancy. Whilst one storyline deals with the loss of a child, the other deals with the possibility of new life. I loved the juxtaposition between these two tenses. Eve Chase fantastically explores the concept of life and all the eager emotions that come along with pregnancy. Discussions of abortions and adoption are another key theme in this book. As noted in the trigger warnings, pregnancy is a key plot point for each of the POVs in this book. It is described in beautiful detail and adds a sense of love to each page.
This book does not hesitate to shy away from difficult situations. Not only does it future loss and hope. It also heavily shows aspects of generational trauma and abusive relationships. From Hera's point of view, readers get to see how this plays out in the innocence of a young mind. This character was one of my favourites in the book. She is stubborn and protective of her family. When she encounters a baby in the woods, Hera does not hesitate to bring this child into a home filled with love - even if it is dysfunctional. For a character aged thirteen, Hera is brilliantly written and matches the maturity of all of the adults around her. Maybe even more so, when you consider the actions of Jeannie.
There were several plot twists that came alongside these fantastic characters. Many of which are massive spoilers to the end of the story so, to save from ruining the finale I won't share too much detail. Other than say, each plot twist left an urgent desire to continue reading. With each spare moment I had, I was listening and reading hoping to catch a deeper glimpse into the lives of these odd characters.
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