The Glass House by Eve Chase – Book Review

I picked up The Glass House one sunny afternoon and loved the blend of nostalgia and mystery it conjured up. I’d previously read The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde, also by Eve Chase and was very happy to see her engaging tone through the pages here too.

Opening sentence: The forest looks like it’ll eat them alive, thinks Rita.

Rita & Sylvie

Told in two timeframes- we learn about the Harrington family and their nanny Rita in the 1970s and then in the present day, we learn Sylvie’s story. Yes, the story strands are linked – but I won’t divulge how here, as it’s a lovely part of the plot.

When the Harrington’s family home in London burns down, they have to go and live in their isolated, underused and run-down home, Foxcote Manor in the Forest of Dean.

Rita, the Harrington’s live-in nanny looks after Hera and Teddy and, in many respects, their fragile mother, Jeannie. When an awful and irreversible event happens, their lives are changed forever.

As she’d once yearned to be at the heart of the Harrington household, she was now desperate to struggle free of it.

Family First

Sylvie has just left her husband and is coming to terms with both her new single life and the fact her 18-year-old daughter is pregnant. She is a warm and engaging character who uncovers the mystery of the story for us, so we are right there rooting for her.

Master of sweet white lies. Spinner of grubby old yarn into beautiful silken threads. Nightmares into fairytales. That’s Mum.

From the emotive storytelling to the clever mystery elements and at its heart – a true story of family, I loved the way the strands all wove together. I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading The Glass House. Also, I can’t not mention the beautiful cover, and yes, a terrarium, or glass house does indeed play a key role in the story.