The Glass Harmonica

by Russell Wangersky

When retiree Keith O’Reilly witnesses the murder of his neighbour by a pizza delivery man one night during a snowstorm, a unique series of stories begins to unfold.



As the narrative seamlessly moves from neighbour to neighbour, house to house, the reader begins to understand, not only the circumstances that led to the murder, but the private secrets and personal struggles of many of the McKay Street residents.

Travelling through the changing viewpoints of a more than a dozen of people in a small residential neighbourhood in St. John’s, Newfoundland, The Glass Harmonica looks at the way common memories and shared experiences bend and warp as individuals recall the events of their lives, and how these distortions influence both the character’s and the reader’s understanding of the truth.

Genres: Book Club, Canada

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2010

About the author

"Raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, .. his father was a professor of oceanography at Dalhousie University and his mother, a marine biologist, ran a tight ship.. Predilection for dangerous .. and explosions" led to "rugby at 16 -- gave it up two broken noses, three cracked ribs and six concussions later" at age 32. At Arcadia University, he was also "a volunteer firefighter in Wolfville.

With "wife Barbara Pratt moved to Toronto" in 1984, back to St John's Newfoundland in 1986, five years reporter at Sunday Express and CBC TV. Two sons later, joined The Telegram daily in 1997, became editor by 2002. Now married to Leslie Vryenhoek, lives and works in St John's.

Reviews

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vincent got the shovel out of the shed and, holding on to the handle, tried to shake the same set of thoughts he had every time he touched anything in the house: the thought that the last time there was someone holding this shovel handle, it had been his father, and he was still alive.

A glass harmonica was, historically, a musical instrument made from different-sized concentric glass bowls on an iron spindle turned by a foot pedal. This novel is constructed (very well actually) of concentric stories around a street of houses and their occupants - much like your street and mine, really, except that almost everyone here has something to hide. I enjoyed all the various personalities and relationships and connections. The author also seems to take particular care with female characters, and their voices and viewpoints sound pretty accurate to me. It strikes me as well, that the original murder victim is pretty much one of only two or three male characters in the book who doesn’t deserve a beating. St. John’s, Newfoundland is such a great, and familiar, setting and I’m on the lookout for more by this author, especially since his short story Sharp Corner has been made into what sounds like a worthwhile Canadian movie. 4 1/2 stars

[Genni Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book with its dark themes, because Wangersky managed to make this street of dysfunctional people come alive: the murderers, gamblers, child abductors, abusers, and all those who watch in silent complicity. Violent and resigned, these characters stick to their roles. There are overriding consequences to each of these characters’ actions, so that they are intertwined, and like a harmonica, make a tune, albeit a very discordant one. And above all, setting plays a large role in this novel:

“It was the houses, the whole neighbourhood, that she couldn’t stand anymore. The generations of it. The way it was all piled up there, stuffed with history that couldn’t be undone – the way it cared about no one and nothing, eyes closed, back turned. Like nothing that happened could make any difference at all, like it was all just another useless coat of paint.”

In this novel, characters are destined to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Brings up the whole nurture/nature discussion around violence. Interesting read.

[Chantale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wangersky narrates the life of various residents on McKay Street, an older residential area of row houses, just outside of the downtown area of St. John's, Newfoundland. Everyone knows each other's business, but neighbours take a voyeuristic approach to violence on their street. The murder of "The Architect" loosely ties many of the narratives together. Find a comfy seat and read about secrets, murders, abuses, crimes - a commentary on the darkness of human nature. Reading this book is like watching a dark episode of Coronation Street.

Through the character's narratives and observations of their neighbours we learn more about the interrelationships and inner workings of this old neighbourhood.

The old threatens to be taken over as older residents pass on and new owners and newly renovated houses crop up, but as we gain more perspective we see how hard it is to unsettle the culture that has been built through generations.

I was amused that the two characters that managed to escape McKay Steet ended up in the same place at different times. It sure is hard to escape McKay Street!

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is an interconnected collection of vignettes taking place on McKay Street, a block of row-houses in a down-town neighbourhood of St. John's. It's structured in an unusual way. Each chapter is labelled by an address on McKay Street, a character, and a date. The episodes are not chronological; they begin with a murder of one of the street's residents, committed by one of the residents and witnessed by yet another. Subsequent chapters delve deeper into the history of the street, its residents, and their relationships. It's a fascinating study of character, replete with authentic detail and suspense. But things don't get resolved - clues are left but never discovered, the characters make their last appearances and disappear without closure and the suspense dissipates without a climax.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Literary fiction, Atlantic Canadian)

Set in St. John’s Newfoundland where the author lives and works as editor and columnist for The Telegram, The Glass Harmonica is the story of a neighbourhood. In the present, a man witnesses his neighbour shot and killed by a pizza delivery person, but the back story is woven in pieces by various neighbours, back and forth over the course of 40 years. Wangersky has been called a craftsman storyteller. I concur.

This book won 2010 BMO Winterset Award for the outstanding literary work in any genre by a Newfoundlander or Labradorian.

Read this if: you’ve ever walked down your street and wondered what goes on behind closed doors
4½ stars

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it very difficult to get into this book because of its structure. I considered walking away from it entirely. My issue was not the plethora of characters, but the fact that the narrative jumped around in time as well as between characters.

The first third or so of the book, I kept wondering what the hell any piece of it had to do with any other piece. Sure, each character was a resident or former resident of McKay Street, but until their stories started to overlap, it felt like a collection of unfinished short stories. In any event, I stuck it out and sure enough, the stories did all eventually intertwine.

McKay Street sure sounds like a miserable place to live. The only happy people connected to it are the ones who were able to escape. And no wonder, really; the neighbourhood is full of thieves, bullies, skeets, emotional zombies, and even a murderer. It's not the kind of story where you root for the characters because they deserve better. These people don't, for the most part.

This is by far the darkest view I've seen in any novel set in St. John's. It's my home town so I tend to read plenty of books that are set here. In theory, I'm alright with different views of the town and can admit that life is not all sunshine and unicorns for everyone, but this book is just dark. I found it downright depressing.

Despite all of this, I have to admit that the author is a hell of a writer.

[Kaija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes when I read "literary" books, it makes me glad I didn't major in English.

The book jumps around between people, places and year to bring alive the story of a neighbourhood and it's enhabitants. The novel starts witha murder, and I assumed it would follow that pattern throughout the book (whi did it, trial, or something along those lines), but that wasn't the focus of the book. In fact, the focus wasn't really on anyone.
Because the story jumped around so much, anyone I was invested in didn't make an appearance until later, usually through the eyes of someone else. It took quite a bit of work to rememebr who was whom, and how they all fit together. More work than I intended on doing.
He's a good story teller, I'm just not sure if I'm the audience for his kind of stories.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Somewhere between novel and connected short stories about life on a street in St.John's, Newfoundland.

[Corinne Wasilewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It was well paced with the perfect blend of narrative and dialogue. Wangersky was more maestro than writer in the way he orchestrated the many story lines and points of view. Not a good choice for a lazy reader -- you've got to be on your toes for this one. Can't wait to read more Wangersky!

[Perth Library]

Set on a street in St. John's Newfoundland, The Glass Harmonica by Russell Wangersky lets the neighbours who live there share their joys and sorrows and family legacies. Library user Joan says here is another talented Canadian writer doing what Canadian writers do best: tell our stories.

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at life in a neighbourhood of St John's Newfoundland. Too much jumping around in time and characters for me to keep track. Did not finish

[Jen Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally well-crafted. Love the way Russell Wangersky describes the various permutations of light on snow with the subtlety of the Inuit.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting structure (I had to keep notes at first) that slowly draws you in, giving you glimpses in time and in different points of view. I really like this author.

[WittyUserName5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

really enjoyed this - a refreshingly dark tale in contrast to the books that romanticize life in the maritimes. wonderful collection of characters (though not very diverse).

[Magdelanye · Rating 3 out of 5]

review pending