The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

The ghosts of a guilty conscious vie with authentic apparitions

Addiction, desire, secrets, and betrayal all play a part in The Glass Hotel, a complex and skillfully-written novel told from multiple points of view by a somewhat omniscient narrator. At the center of the tale is a major white-collar financial crime that takes a toll on all of the characters in different ways. As the story jumps between a remote spot on an island off the western seaboard of Canada and New York City, among many other settings, and follows different characters for different lengths of time, the reader does her best to hold on to the threads, which do come together in the end. Vincent, arguably the main character, had a story that stood out from the rest, and I wish I could have spent more time with her.

The subject matter of this novel is vastly different from St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, but the intricate and complicated style that takes distance points you can't fathom will come together and actually bringing them together in a meaningful way is here, the same as it was in her previous novel.

Ghosts and/or ghostliness, alternate realities and mental perceptions, and magical realism are recurring themes in this book, and add a dreamlike, ethereal quality to the story. I admire the masterful writing, although the story left me melancholy.

The Mystery of Grace by Charles De Lint

 

Tattoos, hotrods, and otherworldly mysteries

I've had Charles De Lint on my list of authors to read for so long. I finally read a book by him in my fiftieth year. Why did I wait so long!?

Set in the fairly modern day United States' Southwest, The Mystery of Grace is one of De Lint's most recent releases. Grace is a bad-ass, tattoo-covered, vintage car restorer who took after her grandfather more than her mother. The book tells the story of a young woman who makes the journey to a place on the other side of living, but is it THE place? It's a love story. It's a ghost story that is introspective and spiritual rather than scary. It's a beautifully written story about friendship, caring for others, trusting in yourself, and the courage to leap into the unknown. I loved it, and I can't wait to catch up on all of the De Lint books I've missed out on reading so far.

The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn

 

Vampires in the Club

Kismet is a psychologist in Denver. She meets with a 20-something client, Midnight, whose parents insist on a counseling appointment because of Midnight's infatuation with the underground vampire culture in Denver's nightlife scene, particularly the crowd that hangs out at The Crypt, a popular goth/alternative dance club. Midnight insists that vampires are real and wants to become one; Kismet discovers Midnight is also a lonely individual whose mother is unavailable and whose father is a long-time untreated addict.
 Kismet becomes interested in the vampire culture and considers writing a book about the psychology of vampire wannabes. Then she meets Devereaux, the owner of The Crypt nightclub. After meeting Devereaux, and other not-near-as-pleasant night walkers who habitually terrorize others, Kismet doesn't know what to believe about whether or not vampires really exist. But she does know her feelings for Devereaux have magic intensity.
This is a sexy vampire novel that incorporates suspense, murder, mayhem, FBI and police involvement, violence, vampire culture, the spirit world, addiction, witchcraft and weirdly, humor. I enjoyed it enough that I'll pick up the second book, Blood Therapy.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Classic coming of age werewolf tale

This is a supernatural coming-of-age story that mixes mystery, romance, and adventure. Vivian is a sixteen-year-old werewolf who loves the change from girl to wolf. But her father, the former pack leader, has been killed and the pack is leaderless and in disarray. Vivian grieves the loss of her father and dislikes the pack's teenage boy/wolves who are vying for position at the head of the pack. She meets a human boy and sees potential for love, even though human/wolf relationships are forbidden. When more deaths occur, Vivian has to decide who she can trust.

Published in 1999, this young adult novel features more sensuality than I've noticed in modern YA writing. The 2007 movie loosely (VERY loosely) based on the book made the main character 19 years old rather than 16, perhaps because of that. The story was good and I enjoyed reading Blood and Chocolate. I'm a fan of the supernatural/fantasy genre, and this is one of the classics.