The Ghost in the Glass House, by Carey Wallace
Fast facts:
- I've met Carey Wallace, and I love her books so much that I am sure to get sweaty-saw-a-celebrity palms when I see her next
- This is her second book - be sure to also check out The Blind Contessa's New Machine
- An editorial review on Amazon says "grades 5-8". Hmm. Guess I'm young at heart!
- If the target age is true, here's to hoping this thing blows up like Twilight
- 240 pages of wonderful pleasure reading
The book focuses on Clare, a precocious twelve-year-old on perpetual vacation with her opulent and dramatic mother, Cynthia, who travels the world and seems to have any of her heart's desires at her fingertips (including very creative pastries that are guaranteed to make you hungry). They globetrot like crazy (is this child ever in school?) and land in a servant-equipped house in a beach town, surrounded by rich neighbors who also seem to globetrot with them constantly (does anyone have a job?)
The story moves at a perfect, brisk clip, filling in the delicious details of Clare's (very) enviable travels, as well as slowly introducing the theme, common with a ghost story motif, that things are not always what they seem.
As Clare tries to avoid the impending adulthood that her group of friends seems so desperate to reach, she develops her first real crush on an invisible boy who lives in a glass house abandoned for storage on their summer home property. Matters are complicated by Tilda, the delightful old house servant who proves a tough nut to crack even for bright, headstrong Clare, who is used to being loved or ignored by adults.
A number of romantic entanglements, without the complications of being a grown-up, prove highly entertaining (A loves B but pretends to love C who loves B, while B loves A's best friend D, who is also adored by A's brother E!) And what's not to love about a hidden cave under a cliff in the ocean, furnished by the teenagers with all the antique furniture that the rich adults never bothered to keep track of?
How I met Carey, and a plea
I met Carey through our mutual friend, Sarah. We met after seeing their friend Bridget play the harp like a boss-genius at Le Poisson Rouge, before I'd read The Blind Contessa's New Machine. Sarah is notorious for being one of the best human beings on the planet, and for having a thousand creative talents and beyond impeccable taste, so her recommendation of Carey's first book (and Carey's immediately obvious coolness) made it mandatory reading for me. The Blind Contessa's New Machine was so engrossing and wonderful that as I devoured it on the train, I wished I would miss my stop so I could continue. (Thank you Sarah!)
So the next time I saw Carey, I totally dweebed out and fell all over myself being in love with her/the book. Happily, I remain hopeful that she forgave my bumbling, AND she revealed that book #2 was on its way. Thank goodness, because I was devastated at finishing Blind Contessa, and now I'm devastated that Ghost in the Glass House is over, and Carey if you're out there, would you pretty please give us book #3 as soon as possible? Not to sound ungrateful for this book's loveliness, but the fans are desperate!!!
Easy Like Sunday Morning
The book is deliciously quick and easy to read. I certainly don't want to call it chewing gum, and I'm not sure I agree that it's "easy" as in, meant just for 10-14 year olds - it's not the kind of reading that you don't have to think about at all. Mainly, the story and beautiful descriptions just wash over you so that you don't realize that reading is any kind of effort.
Everywhere you look, amidst gorgeous descriptions of colorful furniture in the glass house, candy in the village shop, and the comforts of a wealthy ocean summer home existence, there's also some fundamental truth phrased so simply but so creatively that you have to marvel at Carey's talent. The heavier themes that she handles adroitly include being a child on the cusp of adulthood, dealing with grief and loss, misjudging people when you first meet them, notions of home, mother-daughter relationships, and young love in its many types and directions and confusions.
Recommended for an easy Sunday morning when you feel like being transported to your teenage years, if you wish those teenage years were spent traveling the world and enjoying summer houses.
