The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

A special thank you to Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio for an audiobook listening copy, and Edelweiss and Knopf for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass spectacle on a beautiful island in British Columbia. The owner of the hotel, Jonathan Alkaitis works in finance and slips Vincent his card—this encounter marks the beginning of their life together. On that very same day, Vincent's troubled half-brother, Paul, leaves a cryptic and disturbing message on one of the hotel's window: "Why don't you swallow broken glass." A shipping executive for Neptune-Avramidis, sees the note from where he is perched in the hotel bar and it shakes him to his core. Mysteriously, Vincent vanishes from from the deck of one of Neptune-Avramidis' ships thirteen years later. How did she fall overboard? Does it have anything to do with being Alkaitis' trophy wife?

This is a story about wealth, greed, corruption, unintended consequences, and how the ghosts of the past always find you. 

The audiobook is spectacular and Dylan Moore was the perfect casting choice.

There is a gentleness to St. John Mandel's beautiful writing and I was utterly captivated. There are so many subtle nuances and layers to this spider's web of a novel. This book is much more than a story about a Ponzi scheme. She slowly pulls back the proverbial curtain to reveal her characters struggles and juxtaposes their life choices against what could have been. It is a ghost story of sorts—the characters are haunted by themselves as much as Alkaitis is haunted by the ghosts of his victims.

Mesmerizing and haunting, The Glass Hotel is an understated and unexpected gift.

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EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL is the author of five novels. The bestselling Station Eleven was a finalist for a National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award, it has also been translated into thirty-two languages.

St. John Mandel lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

A special thank you to Libro.fm Audiobooks and Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

The title of the book refers to "a long bright river of departed souls," those that have died as a result of opioid overdoses in the Philadelphia neighbourhood of Kensington.

Two sisters split apart by addiction: Kacey is an addict that lives on the streets and turns tricks to support her drug habit, whereas Mickey, a single mom, patrols those same streets as a police officer. Even though they don't speak, Mickey is always watching for Kacey and worrying that she is going to find her dead from an overdose.

But then Kacey disappears at the same time that other young women are being murdered. The killings are taking place in Mickey's district and she becomes obsessed with not only finding her sister, but who is responsible before it's too late.

Opening with a list of names of those that have died from opioid overdoses, Long Bright River is an uncomfortable read. It is an unflinching look at addiction and the opioid crisis in America. Moore doesn't judge. Instead she captures the incredibly harsh realities of addiction and gives a voice to those that struggle—she shines a light in a very dark place.

Moore's writing is beautiful, harrowing, and nuanced. Her character development is nothing short of amazing. Mickey is layered, complex, flawed, and deeply human. At first she appears to be the sister that has it all together when in fact, she is completely marred by her past and her sister's drug addition.

Alternating between the present-day mystery and the backstory of the sisters' upbringing, this suspense-filled novel is a story of hope, addiction, and the bond between sisters. Long Bright River is a slow burn that is intricately paced and well worth the your patience.

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LIZ MOORE is the author of the acclaimed novels Heft and The Unseen World. She won the 2014-15 Rome Prize in Literature.

Moore lives in Philadelphia.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

A special thank you to Libro.fm Audiobooks, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Penguin Group Putnam for an ARC/audiobook listening copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alix Chamberlain is a mom and blogger who has become somewhat of a social media darling and her own brand. She is a privileged white woman who always gets what she wants and has made this her business model.

Emira is the young black babysitter for the Chamberlains. Working two jobs, she is trying to make rent, keep up with her health insurance, and decide what exactly she wants to do with her life.

While minding Briar one night, Emira is confronted by another shopper and security guard in the Chamberlain's upscale neighbourhood supermarket—she is accused of kidnapping the toddler. A crowd gathers to watch the events unfold, and a bystander captures everything on his phone. Emira is left shaken, humiliated and determined to put the incident behind her whereas Alix makes it her mission to right the situation.

When the video unearths someone from Alix's past, the women end up on a crash course that will topple their delicate relationship and undo them both.

What could easily be mistaken as a light and breezy beach read is quickly squashed—this rich and captivating narrative has many layers and subtle nuances. Such a Fun Age is an explosive debut with a comment on racism, classism, and transactional relationships.

Reid's character development is nothing short of amazing. Both Alix and Kelley perceive that they are protecting Emira and saving her, but what they don't realize is the huge disconnect they have from her real life. They think that they are the hero whereas the other is the villain. Alix and Kelley also can't seem to see the bigger picture—even though they are well meaning, they are part of the problem. And can we just talk about Briar for a moment? She is precocious but there is an innate sadness about her, she can sense that she is not important to her mother but has no way of articulating her feelings. Reid gives voice to this by creating an anxious, serious child that flourishes under Emira's care. The exchanges between Emira and Briar are some of the best writing in the book.

Alix's feelings towards Amira force a relationship that is not only inappropriate as her employer, but borders on being unhealthy. I think that Alix is a bit unhinged, perhaps this is a result of her micro-celebrity status, therefore she tries to control those around her, especially through her need to help. This is a case of where well-intentioned white people try to save black people and instead, make the situation more difficult.  

Can I just tell you how outstanding the audiobook version is? Nicole Lewis is incredibly talented. I highly recommend this five star book.

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KILEY REID earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was awarded the Truman Capote Fellowship and taught undergraduate creative writing workshops with a focus on race and class. Her short stories have been featured in Ploughshares, December, New South, and Lumina.

Reid lives in Philadelphia with her husband. 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

A special thank you to Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio Publishing for an audiobook listening copy.

Beginning with our protagonist not opening a very special door, The Starless Sea is an expanse of stories from a realm that contains lost cities and seas, and stories whispered by the dead.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins, now grown and a graduate student, finds an authorless book in his Uni library which has detailed him seeing (and not opening) that door. Completely baffled, armed with clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—and at a loss of how anyone could have known of this experience from his childhood, Zachary sets off on a journey to discover his life's purpose and what was behind the door.

After an eight year hiatus, Morgenstern returns with her elegant prose. This beautifully lyrical masterpiece is a story made up of stories, fables, and fairytales. Erin makes connections to these stories by interspersing them throughout Zachary's journey of self-discovery where he finds his own place in the book's narrative.

Told through an omniscient narrator, The Starless Sea is a whopping 512 pages of dazzling imagery. When I attended an event with Erin, she spoke of how she likes her books to have a strong visual language. This comes as no surprise given the intricate detail in the book.

Unlike other readers that found fault with there being too many stories with the actual story, my criticism has to do with the characters themselves. Morgenstern's writing is so visually stunning, her descriptions are rich and vivid, truly a feast for the senses, but the characters are the opposite—they are flat in that they are not fully fleshed out. One of my favourite descriptions in the book was Allegra's collection of door handles that were suspended like a mobile. We also never find out the symbolism and meaning behind the main visuals throughout the story: the bee, the sword, and the key. Perhaps this was done on purpose to leave the reader to draw their own conclusions? Or maybe the book is one giant metaphor?

The pure magic and genius of this book will solidify Morgenstern as one of the most gifted and unique writers today.

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ERIN MORGENSTERN is the author of the number-on national bestseller The Night Circus that has been sold around the world and translated into thirty-seven languages. Erin also has a degree in theater from Smith College.

Morgenstern lives in Massachusetts with her husband.