by Eve Chase
SYNOPSIS
Outside a remote manor house in an idyllic wood, a baby girl is found. The Harrington family takes her in and disbelief quickly turns to joy. They're grieving a terrible tragedy of their own and the beautiful baby fills them with hope, lighting up the house's dark, dusty corners. Desperate not to lose her to the authorities, they keep her secret, suspended in a blissful summer world where normal rules of behaviour - and the law - don't seem to apply.
But within days a body will lie dead in the grounds. And their dreams of a perfect family will shatter like glass. Years later, the truth will need to be put back together again, piece by piece... From the author of Black Rabbit Hall, The Glass House is an emotional, thrilling book about family secrets and belonging - and how we find ourselves when we are most lost.
REVIEW
The Glass House is narrated by three main characters – Rita, Hera and Sylvie in a dual timeline split between 1971 and the present day. The story begins with the Harrington family moving to the Forest of Dean to recuperate after a terrible tragedy and we follow Rita, the nanny, as she attempts to hold the family together while Jeannie struggles to cope with the death of her newborn baby. The story then switches to the present day where Sylvie is also struggling to deal with the break-up of her marriage and how this has affected her teenage daughter Annie. It becomes clear that Sylvie has demons from her past which she needs to confront in order to move on and be happy. As the story develops, we learn that these two situations are linked and the mystery to find out how and why builds up to several shocking revelations.
I absolutely loved this book. The mystery element was very subtle, running alongside the exploration of the characters and their relationships with each other. The author very skilfully left little clues throughout the story which began to link the two timelines together. Each time something was revealed it just made me more eager to find out what had happened, but at the same time, opened up more questions that needed answering.
Overall it was quite a complicated plot, with lots of characters to keep track of and twists to explore, but the smaller reveals along the way helped to keep the intrigue high and built to an unexpected ending.
This is the first novel I have read from Eve Chase but I will definitely be reading more. I would highly recommend The Glass House to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, lighter thrillers and mysteries surrounding family secrets.
Thanks to @GabyYoung, @MichaelJBooks and @EvePollyChase for the opportunity to take part in the tour.
Fiction: Historical Thriller / Suspense
Product format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1405946179
Pages: 400 pp
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