The Glass Hotel

I think I fall into the category of people who wished they were reading Station Eleven instead.

Some parts of this book I thought were really great, descriptions of the Hotel Caiette, glimpses of ghosts you're never really sure are there, Leon's moments of happiness with his wife in their RV, Vincent's remembrances of her mother. But these moments felt really short, and then we'd be back to the Ponzi scheme that seemed to take over the plot about a third of the way through the novel. I don't know, if you're really interested in rehashing Bernie Madoff and the financial crisis of 2008, give this one a try. There's a moment near the end where another character describes Vincent by saying something like “You know how rare it is to meet someone who really loves their life? She would work 8 months and then spend the rest of the year traveling the world.” And I found myself thinking, wow, I really wish that had been part of the book, instead of mentioned in passing by a character who is only around for two pages.

The Nerdette Podcast had a really great discussion about this novel. It was nice to hear that the guest reviewer shared my “meh” opinion, though the host herself did really enjoy the book.