Book Review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

“Often, what we see in art is a reflection of us. Of our optics. Our mindset. Have you ever tried to read a novel and not enjoyed it, then gone back at another point in time and loved it? The story didn’t change. But you did. This is an insight into who we are at any given moment and what we bring to our unique intersection with art.”

Sarah Pekkanen, House of Glass

Review:

I discovered Sarah Pekkanen last year and I quickly fell in love with her writing. I was super excited when I saw this book was a Book of the Month selection. 

Attorney Stella Hudson is assigned to a custody case involving a nine-year-old girl who has developed traumatic mutism after witnessing the death of her nanny. Stella had gone through a similar experience as a child and she’s hopeful that she can make a breakthrough. She quickly comes to realize this case is more complex than she anticipated. The Barclay family is full of secrets, most of all Rose.

I was taken with this story right away and the momentum maintained itself until the last quarter of the book. The plot was busy from the start, but it got even more so by the end. Stella’s relationship/backstory with Charles was a lot to unpack for it not being the main plot. It’s complexity didn’t feel necessary. On top of this, there was a shoehorned romance in maybe the last 10-15 percent that had no relevance or build-up whatsoever. What’s worse is that it became an overshadowing focus at the end. I enjoyed the main story with Rose and her family. Had the end not strayed so much (and if a couple of the plot holes had been filled) this would have been an easy five stars for me. Regardless, I did thoroughly enjoy the mystery and the twists. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The storyline surrounding mutism.
• The twists surrounding Rose.

What I didn’t like:

• The shoehorned romance.
• An overly complex B plot that could have been its own book to better execute it.

Afterthoughts:

I’m very disappointed that this didn’t end up being five stars for me, but it’s still up there on my list of favorite reads this year.

Where to buy the book: