The Glass House

by Brooke Dunnell

Julia Lambett heads across the country to her hometown where she' s been given the job of moving her recalcitrant father out of his home and into care. But when Julia arrives at the 1970s suburban palace of her childhood, she finds her father has adopted a mysterious dog and refuses to leave.Frustrated and alone, when a childhood friend crosses her path, Julia turns to Davina for comfort and support. But quite soon Julia begins to doubt Davina' s motivations. Why is Davina taking a determined interest in all the things that Julia hoped she had left behind? Soon Julia starts having troubling dreams, and with four decades of possessions to be managed and dispersed, she uncovers long-forgotten, deeply unsettling memories.

Genres: Contemporary, Audiobook

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Brooke Dunnell lives in Perth, where she is completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Western Australia. Her short stories have appeared in Voiceworks, the University of Canberra Monitor and on the Harper’s Bazaar website. Her story ‘Buddhas’ featured in the collection Allnighter and was read on ABC Radio National.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: Putting her items on the belt, Julia realised she'd never considered the possibility of running into old ghosts. Really, it was inevitable. This was where she'd spent the first twenty years of her life, and though she'd moved farther and farther away over the years - to a flat near the train line, then a share house on the coast, and then to the Eastern States - there were plenty who hadn't. When Goldie was still alive, there were always stories of who she'd seen at the shop or the park, what the gossip was at the community hall and the library and the playing fields. It was like an invisible fence penned in most of the kids Julia and Paul had grown up with, restricting them to the immediate area or a few suburbs away, at most. Even if they had managed to escape, their parents were still in the family home, just like Don, acting surprised when their adult kids had to move back in because they couldn't afford real estate.

On her trips to Perth with Rowan and Evie, she'd never bumped into people she knew, but then they'd only really used Don's house as a base. As soon as they woke in the mornings, they were in the Commodore, driving to the city or the beach, wandering around Fremantle or Subiaco or Hillary's, day trips to the hills or the Swan Valley. Acting like tourists, and tourists never knew anyone.

Driving home, Julia sat erect, hands at ten and two like a police car was breathing down her neck. Her eyes roamed the footpaths for other blasts from the past. In the taxi from the airport, she'd been preoccupied by all the things that seemed to have changed; what she should have been aware of was everything that hadn't.

ABOUT 'THE GLASS HOUSE': Julia Lambett heads across the country to her hometown where she’s been given the job of moving her recalcitrant father out of his home and into care. But when Julia arrives at the 1970s suburban palace of her childhood, she finds her father has adopted a mysterious dog and refuses to leave.

Frustrated and alone, when a childhood friend crosses her path, Julia turns to Davina for comfort and support. But quite soon Julia begins to doubt Davina’s motivations. Why is Davina taking a determined interest in all the things that Julia hoped she had left behind? Soon Julia starts having troubling dreams, and with four decades of possessions to be managed and dispersed, she uncovers long-forgotten, deeply unsettling memories.

MY THOUGHTS: The Glass House is a quietly absorbing story, one that takes us on a journey with Julia as she is cleaning out her 92 year old father's house in preparation for him entering a retirement home.

Despite Don being a bit of an old curmudgeon at times, I quite liked him. He is kind and loyal, and on the odd night that Julia goes out to meet friends, he still waits up for her. He knows he can't continue to live on his own, and has agreed to downsize to assisted living, but he'll do it on his terms and in his own timeframe.

Julia sees dealing with her father's problems as a welcome break from her own - a struggling marriage to Rowan and her seeming inability to have a child.

Old friends make an unexpected reappearance in her life and trigger some repressed memories that she struggles to make sense of.

I love that the author doesn't tie everything up in a nice neat bow at the end. The ending is perfect, just as it is.

This is a quietly meandering book about life, friendship, and the changing nature of relationships throughout a lifespan. I enjoyed it greatly and will certainly be lining up to read more from this author.

The Glass House by Brooke Dunnell is due for publication 1st November 2022

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#TheGlassHouse

I: @brooky.brooks @fremantlepress

T: #BrookeDunnell @ FremantlePress

#australianfiction #contemporaryfiction #familydrama #sliceoflife #womensfiction

THE AUTHOR: Brooke Dunnell lives in Perth, where she is completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Western Australia. Her short stories have appeared in Voiceworks, the University of Canberra Monitor and on the Harper’s Bazaar website. Her story ‘Buddhas’ featured in the collection Allnighter and was read on ABC Radio National.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Fremantle Press for providing a copy of The Glass House by Brooke Dunnell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review will also be published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julia, at the behest of her brother Paul, has returned to her home town of Perth to oversea the packing up of their father Don's house and his placement in assisted living.

This is an interesting and generally well written debut novel. As someone who has been through the experience of elderly parents interstate, some hundreds of miles away, I could really relate to the experiences of Julia and Paul as they tried to cope with having their own lives and families as well as wanting and needing to care for their now widowed father. I could also relate to Don, the fierce independence alternating with his knowing that he needed help and having to relinquish control of his life, especially in the packing up and disposing of items that held long term memories. Dunnell rendered these characters and their circumstances brilliantly. However, although I could also empathise with the difficulty in returning home and meeting up with childhood friends, I struggled a little with the element of past traumas, touched on largely through a sequence of dreams, but ultimately feeling a little like an ad on to the main plot/trajectory of the novel.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading future novels from this author.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, beautiful prose with relatable characters. If you’re looking for an easy piece of contemporary fiction good one to choose.

[Karen Herbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorbing read from first time author Brooke Dunnell. The slow and insistent immersion into the lives of Julia, Don, and Davina keep me turning the pages to the very end. I have had the good fortune of chatting to Brooke about her next offering and if she writes it with half the elegance of her debut, it will be something to get your hands on!

[Georgie Whitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was written beautifully and felt memoir-esque in the unreliable narration style.

There was a lot that felt unfinished or incomplete that would be true to real life. I think it captured the way certain events in our life can bring up old pain and repressed memories really well.
She wrote quite delicately about some heavy topics and the ending was imperfect but satisfying .

[Judd Exley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting... is NOT a word I'd use, so why couldn't I put the bloody thing down?!
Because it's Just Good Writing. With a relatable and interesting main character and vibrantly colourful supporting cast. Holy cats, I guarantee you know somebody just like every character in this book, and you sometimes love them, sometimes they make you want to scream.
It wasn't even that there's this Unknown Mystery hanging over everything. I mean, there is, but that wasn't what drove me to keep turning pages for a solid 6 hours. With Julia, you're just drawn in and taken with on her journey. She's flawed, she's human, she's mutable and best of all, she's that perfect blend of humble/arrogant about her life decisions that nothing is a given because she (like all of us) is still figuring this all out as she goes. I don't think I knew that was the biggest draw until I wrote it just now. Julia is All Of Us. So good.

[Jo Calliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, just not my thing.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Some parts worked really well, other parts didn’t convince me. It was mostly a good read, though.

[Jen Mactaggart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book which was perfectly paced and beautifully written. Very evocative of Perth, it explores many themes including child protection, childlessness and caring for aged parents. I look forward to further offerings from the author. Having also read her collection of short stories I predict a dog in a starring role...

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke’s style makes this an enjoyable read with a twist you don’t see coming but on reflection you recognise the crumbs. A wonderful debut and I look forward to reading more of Brooke’s work in the future.

[Deb Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. Audiobook so maybe didn’t show off the writing enough. Ok. Got a bit long (and a bit boring) about half way thru, The characters didn’t really grab me and the whole awkward odd episode with Devina seemed a bit overblown? And the episode with the dog was cut short and ultimately underwhelming? Needed a better edit. Okay lil novel.

[Corinne Johnston]

4.5
I really enjoyed this novel, despite at many points wanting to stop reading. This is because I spent two difficult months this year organising aged care for my father-in-law, clearing out his home and selling, sorting out where a lifetime of memories and objects were to go. This book brought so much of it back to me! However, the layers of relationships, old and new, are so beautifully realised that I did keep on reading to the end. I look forward to reading more from Brooke Dunnell in the future.

[Mathilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Don't blame yourself,' Samara admonished.
Like that, the guilt fluttered up off Julia's shoulders. It hung just overhead, threatening to drop back at any moment, but at least there was room for breath now. 232

The rain had mostly stopped, and the air had a freshly laundered feeling to it. 268

He held her and told her he was sorry she'd gone through that, and she said it was okay, she was okay. 299

[Brett Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful read. The writing is absorbing and well-crafted and a lesson in storytelling. The relationships between the characters was also portrayed beautifully. Very well done, Brooke, and deserving of its many accolades.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm not sure what criteria is used for novels to win awards as this book has.

Seemed to me a lot of waffle with next to no story.

[Laurie Steed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brooke Dunnell's debut novel The Glass House is a particularly engrossing exploration of boundaries, obligation, secrets and responsibility.

Relieved to take time out from her faltering marriage, Julia Lambett heads across the country to her hometown to help her father move into aged care. But moving an elderly man is easier said than done, especially when her father reveals that a guest has come to stay. Soon after her return, Julia bumps into her childhood friend Davina. True to form, Davina takes a determined interest in all the things that Julia hoped she had left behind. Along with four decades of possessions to be managed and dispersed, Julia uncovers some long-forgotten, deeply unsettling memories.

Davina is one of the more memorable, car-crash captivating characters I've encountered in literary fiction and is a masterclass in the types of people who make and break lives, and how and why we might keep our distance. Likewise, Dunnell's ability to traverse the fault lines of familial dysfunction is next-level, and yet they're rendered with necessary subtlety and complexity. in The Glass House, one almost wants to defend the most culpable in the space (at least initially) because it's those impacted by the crossing of boundaries that get to ruminate on events, rather than responsible. What results is in some ways a quite unsettling book but in many other ways a comforting meditation on who we let into our hearts, and why. Along the way, there's also much to consider about accepting life on life's terms and integrating one's past and one's present.

For those unsure of its intentions, this is measured, thoughtful literary fiction, a bag of Kettle chips as opposed to a packet of Twisties. It's all the better for that, and highly recommended.

[Fiona Quintner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia, a 40yo Melbourne wife and stepmother, returns to Perth to move her aging father out of the family home she grew up in.

While there she revisits old friendships, gets a new perspective on her parents and her past, reflects on her spluttering marriage and takes stock of her life.

As a child of aging parents this book hit close to home as I think about what will happen in the next few years as my parents lose their independence.

It also touched on the way our judgement of our parents changes from when we are kids to teens to adults to new parents to experienced parents ourselves, and as we learn things that we were not privy to when we were younger.

I’ve certainly come full circle in my judgement of my parents and now have a renewed respect for how they raised me. They were not perfect but they provided a pretty nourishing environment all things considered something I haven’t always appreciated.

The book also provides a very realistic portrayal of the toxic friendships we sometimes have as women with people who are not really our friends.

The tenderness between Julia and her stepdaughter Evie and her stepdaughter’s mother Samara was beautiful and heartwarming. There were also some very tender moments between Julia and her father Don.

An enjoyable and moving book. I appreciated the nostalgic references to growing up in Australia in the 80s and 90s

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: if you have experience with childhood molestation this book may have trigger themes.
A good story about families being complicated. I definitely didn’t see the twist about the man by the river or the Weir family. OR BISCUIT NOW THAT I THINK OF IT!
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I didn’t appreciate the notion that going to see a fertility doctor might be a negative thing.
There was a reference to Evie’s breasts as “utters” that was a jarring way to hear a step mom talk about her step daughter that I can’t get out of my head.
But otherwise the story was fine!

[Beatrice Braun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book cover blurb and reviews by personal friends and colleagues of an author are not reliable. They cannot by definition be objective.
Done with good intent and to boost book sales,it is however frustrating and misleading (I'll refrain form using a harsher word) for the general reader.
As a reader not influenced by any personal connection to the writer,or the elusive Fogarty Award judges or the Freemantle Press and therefore impartial, I found the novel plodding laboured, immature poorly constructed and boring
In other words a dud.

[Sharnee Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

How to describe this book 🤔 it was hard to get into but once into it, it was easy to read, but there was too many gaps in the storyline and jumped all over the place.

I also found there was a fair bit of waffling throughout. Overall it had a weird vibe. I understand what the plot was trying to be but it unfortunately missed the mark.

“Dreams are meaningless, just the mind digesting its experiences.”

“Her family was poisonous. Like a well. She drank that water everyday. What else was going to happen?”

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtfully written novel exploring themes of family relationships (various types), friendship (both childhood and adult) and finding ways to change habitual patterns. I could relate to the main character Julia, and to the setting location of Melbourne especially. I was interested to keep listening throughout the audiobook. Very good narration too, by Fiona MacLeod- I listened at original speed.

[Bronwen Heathfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle book about a woman rediscovering her past when she moves back to Perth to assist her elderly father move into supported accommodation. She is also wrestling with her present and her relationship with her husband. Nothing much really happens but somehow it isn’t boring. I enjoyed the interactions with her father but somehow it all felt a little twee- hence 3 stars

[Pete Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and engaging. Dunnell skilfully crafts a story with almost as much dialogue written between the lines than on the page. An easy read, with an undercurrent of foreboding that ignites and fuels the readers I imagination right to the end. Well worth a read.

[Libby Wight · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable, albeit almost ominous, read. There was low-level suspense throughout the narrative culminating in a slightly anti-climatic, but neat ending. It felt, to me, like the ending was a bit rushed.

[Dorothy Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main character encounters a lot of life challenges simultaneously which make for an interesting story,but her character was not wholly believable, more like a vehicle for the plot to travel through. Good topical themes. Hope to read more of the author to see if she can integrate more.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introspective.

Not entirely my type of novel but it is very well written and deals with a number of contemporary issues in a thought provoking way. There were moments of tenderness, heartfelt sadness, social awkwardness, and deeply entrenched trauma. The dilemmas of families, aging and the demands of expectations make this an interesting and insightful read.

An excellent debut by Australian writer Dunnell.

[Shirley Bateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This resonated with me. The struggles and frustrations of caring for an elderly parent rang true. It was a bit too long-winded but the writing was really good.

[Emily Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will draw you so deeply into Brookes carefully crafted world that at the end you’ll find yourself thrust back into real like missing Julia and Evie’s company. Wonderfully written.

[Tina Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather good plotting and some well developed characters.