It’s been some and it is clear why I have been a devotee of Sarah Pekkanen for a long time as she partnered up with Greer Hendricks and produced some thrilling novels. Books such as An Anonymous Girl, The Golden Couple or my personal favorite The Wife Between Us made me realize that this couple is a true power couple! When it turned out that Sarah and Greer were no longer working together, my heart sank, as if two close mates had said goodbye. Fortunately, Sarah Pekkanen has not cooled down and has continued her solo career with strong novels such as Gone Tonight. You guess right, this piece of art is titled House of Glass!
Now let’s get into the thriller, the suspense and the mystery that is House of Glass because this book literally took me on a roller coaster and I can’t wait to share my thoughts about it!
What is House of Glass About?
The Barclay family enjoys great luxuries including, beauty and a gilded lifestyle. However, beneath the polished surface is an incredibly tainted past full of deranged narratives. It all begins with the death of a mysterious young nanny. Did she slip or was there foul play? Rose Barclay, the nine-year-old daughter of the family who is currently mute but who witnessed the circumcision cannot talk at all.
Meet Stella Hudson, a Best Interest Attorney, who gets allocated to Rose’s case. Rose is too young for Stella’s comfort which is understandable because of Stella’s own troubled history, but when her mentor, a judge, makes it clear that she has no choice but to take the case, she complies. Upon entering the family’s historic Washington DC home which is known for its glass buildings, she wises up very fast that not all is in order.
But here is the twist-the house is a plastic house, glass nowhere. There is more to this story and as Stella gets closer to finding out what happened to the nanny, the heat intensifies, the risk does not subside, and she starts to doubt if the person who she is supposed to protect is the real danger. From the conniving dad to the delicate mother to the reticent child, every family member of the Barclay family appears to be an enigma.
Did Rose push the nanny off? Was it Beth, the mother? Someone else?
A Closer Look at the Characters
An interesting aspect brought out in House of Glass is the development of every character, Harris as well as Dahlia, to be more than just their role in the story. This builds a sense of suspense all throughout, as no one can be trusted in their entirety.
Stella Hudson
The main character, Stella, is an interesting as well as convoluted character. In her capacity as a Best Interest Attorney, she focuses on the interests of a child, who, in this case, happens to be Rose. The Barclay family unfolds before us as Stella would have seen it. It is, however, Stella’s history which is perhaps the most captivating factor, developing as it does, into one of the central threads of the narrative. Her backstory, which is gradually revealed as the novel progresses, definitely raises the stakes for her character and enhances her complexity.
Stella has no choice but to work with such a young child, however she specializes in delicate and danger inviting work. She is driven and smart, which explains a lot about her character and why she is the lead here. As the story moves on, however, we start to feel whether Sytina’s past is clouding her judgment in this high-pressure situation.
Rose Barclay
Rose, who is at the center of the drama, is a child but a very smart one whose expressions seem to speak for her. She last spoke a word after her nanny died under circumstances which are still being investigated. Such circumstances make her susceptible, as well as scary because everybody she interacts with suffuses her with their misgivings.
What is particularly curious about Rose is that she loves to collect sharp and pointy objects. It kind of makes her character more unsettling yet interesting at the same time because for the reader, it presents the question: Is she really a victim and could have been involved in the killing of her nanny?
As Stella seeks out Rose and attempts to get to the bottom of the matter, the tension is mounting. Is Rose a dangerous child who needs to be sheltered or does she look more dangerous than she actually is?
Ian and Beth Barclay
Ian and Beth are Rose’s parents and they are an affluent and dysfunctional couple engaged in a messy divorce. Ian, the father, is an attorney with everything to protect-his name, his money and even his liberty. There’s also conflict in the shape of Ian’s involvement with the nanny, Tina. But most importantly, he is rumored to have fathered a child with Tina, who was pregnant at the time of her death, and so Ian has a lot to answer for, and the reader is inclined to be skeptical of him.
While Ian is self-absorbed and anything but in touch with feelings, Beth is an unstable individual who appears to be coming unglued. She has a phobia of glass which is almost symbolic of the idealism that is presented in the later stages of the novel, and subsequently escalates the situation. Following the demise of Tina, Beth says that normal glass windows in their house be replaced with plexiglass. This action more than just fuels her paranoia, it acts to create an oppressive environment in the house. The use of plastic windows creates psychological confinement around characters, which adds to the feeling of claustrophobia present in the novel.
The House: A Character in Itself
The house of the Barclay family, its eccentric design, comes to be an important factor in the story. Even though the house was intended to be a glass house, the decision to cover the windows with plastic exudes a haunting feeling to the house. It’s as if the house has something to conceal, just as the characters do.
It might appear a simple thing to do, switching glass with plastic, but as the plots develop in House of Glass, the transformation of the design of the home becomes largely metaphorical. Plastic is an artificial substitute for glass, just as plastic is a substitute for everything that the Barclay family claimed to be. The very building itself turns into a reminder of the betrayal of trust that runs through the pages of this novel.
Themes and Twists
The stories that follow in this novel would reveal, Lady Stardust, the British host, though innovative, is a dark psychological thriller. But at the same time, it goes quite deeper to study the issues of trauma, trust, and family relations. The events depicted in the book admittedly are historical, and it addresses how the history shaped today in relation to Stella and the Barclay family.
House of Glass has very interesting turning points, but they are quiet. To some readers it might be boring, but for me, the excitement came from getting to know the characters and seeing them slowly come apart. The enigma of who killed the nanny is more than simply posing the question of ‘who’ did it, but also how and why are all the people’s actions impacted. It is a long build up, but one that left me content at the conclusion.
Final Thoughts
I can comprehend how some of the readers could have found the twists in House of Glass to be overly straight-forward, however, in my opinion, this is beside the purpose. The author does not seek to stun you with a completely unpredictable twist. This is a taut and character driven study of trauma and the psychology of individuals and the protective instincts that people have over their secrets.
I would like to say that if you want to read a thriller that will take you by surprise in terms of the number of twists the plot has, then perhaps, this is not the book for you. However, for readers who appreciate a slow-build up and an immersive atmosphere with interesting characters and a couple of good thrills, get this one, House of Glass.
Thank You
For Sarah Pekkanen’s fans who are both familiar with her previous publications and who are just getting to know her stand alone books, the House of Glass will be a great welcome to Sarah Pekkanen’s works.
