The Glass Room's ability to remain a constant throughout a tale spanning seven decades shows it's strength as a metaphor for something fragile and quiet. Simon Mawer has penned a beautifully written story based around a house featuring a room made of glass to demonstrate the architecture of Czechoslovakia in the 1920's and how something so open and clear could survive the German invasion during WW2.
The characters in the book are poignant descriptions of either incredibly strong or incredibly delicate people and The Glass Room reflects this from it's blue prints, to construction, to the final chapter based in the year 1990. They are people who are dealt with a difficult hand far beyond what our imaginations could ever conjure and yet although they may produce some cracks, they never shatter.
Balancing the ever changing stories over so many years is no mean feat and Mawer expresses the pain and suffering due to the German's desire for an Aryan race most precisely through the character of Hana Hanakova. She's outrageously curious and appears to have an inner strength that can't be faltered, but in her 50's she starts to draw on her close relationships to build the foundations after suffering great loss in a concentration camp. The glass serves the purpose of allowing readers to witness what we're not supposed to see as Leisel, Viktor, Ottilie, Martin, Kata and Marika develop one very complicated relationship.
It's an enthralling read and proves transparency doesn't always provide the clarity we desire.
No comments:
Post a Comment