- The Glass House by Eve Chase -

Published : 14th May 2020

Publisher : Penguin

Format : Kindle, Paperback, Audio, Hardback

Genre : Thriller

Review #9/2021

{ 𝐚𝐝: 𝐩𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 / 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐜 }

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Synopsis

The truth can shatter everything . . .

When the Harrington family discovers an abandoned baby deep in the woods, they decide to keep her a secret and raise her as their own.

But within days a body is found in the grounds of their house and their perfect new family implodes.

Years later, Sylvie, seeking answers to nagging questions about her life, is drawn into the wild beautiful woods where nothing is quite what it seems.

Will she unearth the truth?

And dare she reveal it?

Thank you @Penguin and Tandem for this fantastic advanced copy

My Review

This was part of a Tandem Collective reads readalong. Not only was I added to a group chat to discuss the book we was all reading but also we was given prompt cards for us to post our points of view at specific stages of the story.

{ See my Instagram stories for my prompt card answers }

Told over multi narratives we are first introduced to Rita, a young girl who has fled the quiet of the countryside to become a nanny in London for a wealthy family, The Harringtons whose children are adorable but the marriage between Jeannie and Walter is a strained and troubled one.

The Harringtons have two children, Hera and Teddy and after many months of trying, a third is on the way. Rita, called Big Rita by the family due to her height is a very caring and nurturing nanny, taking the children on regular days out and becoming a much loved member of the family but two tragedies occur that end up forcing the Jeannie, Rita and the children to relocate to the country house in the forest, Foxcote Manor for the summer. The children love exploring there new home, running around in the forest getting up to mischief making Rita worry daily, Rita cannot settle, she does not like the forest, it rakes up unwelcome memories for her and she worries something terrible will happen to them out there.

The summer in their forest home is meant to be a break for Jeannie, After a stay at a retreat to help her overcome her depression but Walter has Rita blackmailed to spy on his wife's mental capacity and report back to him, something Rita hates doing but has no choice if she wishes to stay with the family. When they arrive they are met by a mysterious housekeeper who drip feeds fear of the woods to Rita and who Jeannie is adamant is a spy for her husband, unbeknownst that Rita has been put in the same position. Far from a much needed break that the summer is meant to be turns into something quite the opposite, an old friend who is not any good for Jeannie turns up causing trouble and a baby is found in the forest, Rita on the other hand ends up finding a little romance in amongst the chaos which is lovely for a while until everything comes to a head, a dead body ends up in the woods and Rita is finally forced to leave a family she had come to call her own.

Another alternative narrative is from a woman called Sylvie. She has recently left her husband and their grand house to move into a tiny flat in a less then quiet neighbourhood. This she can deal with as she knows staying in her marriage wasn't an option any longer but their daughter Anne is struggling to come to terms with the separation and takes it out on her mother, unaware of her fathers infidelity.

At roughly the same time her mother has an unexpected accident whilst on a day out with Anne. Sylvie is trying to get through her divorce, be there for her daughter who is also struggling with an unexpected event in her own life as well as care for her poor mother who is stuck in a coma after falling off of a cliff.

There are also inter mingling chapters from Hera, The Harringtons daughter's perspective which I found totally touching and heart breaking at the same time.

Why I Loved It

I love a great twisty story and this one holds that up all the way through.

Gradually the threads of these women's lives slowly weave there way together so cleverly that by the time you have reached the end you are not only floored by the many twists and turns but you are also left speechless by the mystery of the events that took place within the forest and the glorious secrets of both families that keep you drawn to every single page.

Rating

★★★★★

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Meet the author

I write from a studio/shed in my townhouse garden in Oxford. A small space, it's perfect for cooking up bigger ones. I love to write about sprawling, dysfunctional families in curious, characterful settings. A crime usually beats at the heart of my books. As I love stories that envelope you in their world but also read at a page-turning pace, I try to write them too.

Married with three children. Owner of a very hairy and doting golden retriever called Harry.

Studied English Lit at Manchester University and went on to do a post-grad in journalism. I once edited a street fashion magazine, Scene (no longer on the scene, or in existence) and wrote for many publications including Dazed and Confused, Punch, InStyle, Red, Marie-Claire, You and national newspapers. I also wrote seven novels under the name Polly Williams. My first novel was The Rise and Fall of a Yummy Mummy. It's not much like my Eve Chase books - I put in my 10,000 odd hours practise, and I think I got better.

I read all the time, happily hopping between authors and genres. My ever changing list of favourite authors include Maggie O'Farrell, Liane Moriarty, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Strout, Diane Athill, Donna Tartt, Lisa Jewell, Elizabeth Fremantle, Raymond Carver, Jane Austen, Kate Morton, Hilary Mantel, and Barbara Vine.

Probably at my happiest gardening on a warm spring day. I'm obsessed by my garden. You should see my Annabelle hydrangeas.