Contemporary Fiction: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

If there is one book I recommend people read during this strange and trying time, it is Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. In it, a strange illness has decimated humanity, and the world is never the same. Even though her newest release, The Glass Hotel, is very different from its predecessor, I was still excited to read it and add it to my library...which is growing even faster than normal due to me being home more during this time.

The Situation: When Paul begins working at the Hotel Caiette, his half-sister Vincent has already been working for some time as a bartender. While the two of them have never been close, they have at least always been civil and can manage to work together. And then on one fateful day, someone writes a disturbing message on one of the hotel's beautiful glass windows, and several lives of those living and working there are changed forever. Soon both Paul and Vincent no longer work there, with the latter starting a nearly unimaginable new life of luxury as the partner of the wealthy owner of the hotel, while Paul eventually finds his way in the world of music. The story does not end there, and it does not only concern these two. Their lives become intertwined with others at the hotel, including a shipping executive, a former artist, the hotel manager, and a woman whom the owner of the hotel has no desire to ever run into.

The Problem: Soon, the decisions made years ago by the hotel owner, Mr. Alkaitis, will lead to one of the biggest financial scandals in history, effecting nearly everyone in his circle, and causing consequences that will be felt for years afterwards. While Vincent parts ways with him, suddenly removed from the world of money that she had come to enjoy, others must confront the idea that a man they trusted has lost all of their money. Having Alkaitis caught and thrown in jail is all well and good, but the money is gone, leaving financial futures of many uncertain, if not completely ruined. Some cannot handle the situation, including some of those that worked under him. Although Vincent was not a part of the scheme, and had nothing invested, something was still taken from her by someone she knew, and now that her life has changed once again, she sets out on a fateful career that will also end in an investigation.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel that begins in the 1990s and carries as far into the future as December 2029. The timeline of the narrative is not straightforward. Just as the point of view switches between characters, the timeline also jumps around between years and locations. Eventually, the entire story is revealed, including who is guilty, who is innocent, and who is irrevocably changed by what happens, for better and for worse. The book initially focuses on Paul and Vincent, and how they got to be where they are, but then the focus shifts to Alkaitis and the inevitable fallout from his Ponzi scheme. After decades of stealing his investors' money, he is finally arrested, his investors lose everything, and those under him who were involved suffer the consequences. The book touches on how people can justify their actions for so long, and also how a few of them will continue to do so after being caught. It seems that stealing from those that put their trust in you is quite simple for some, and desperation and greed can make the most noble person simply look the other way.

My Verdict: What I love about Mandel's writing is the she conveys the craziness, the drama, the intensity of a situation without being over the top. The wildest events and most tense moments come across with the simplest actions or descriptions, or the smallest movements by the characters or pieces of dialogue. It can become obvious that a character is not in a good place even before they have done anything wrong. And the danger of a situation is portrayed well before anything has happened. It is incredible to watch, or read, and certainly helped to make the details of a Ponzi scheme much more interesting to read about than they normally would be. I cannot say I am fully satisfied by the ending, but at least it is not frustratingly ambiguous. It is clear where most everyone stands, and in what direction they are heading. 

Favorite Moment: When it was clear that Alkaitis would be arrested for his crimes.

Favorite Character: I like Walter, the manager of the Hotel Caiette. He does not want much from life and is committed to his job.

Recommended Reading: I adore Mandel's Station Eleven because it not only shows what happens to society after a terrible flu wipes out a large portion of humanity, but it also shows how it happens, when it is happening. Most books only focus on the aftermath, so it was interesting to see more than the before and after, but also the during.