e-ARC Review: The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson

Blurb (as on Goodreads):

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Booksellercomes a gripping literary suspense novel set in the 1960s about a deeply troubled family and three women who will reveal its dark truths.

In the autumn of 1960, Angie Glass is living an idyllic life in her Wisconsin hometown. At twenty-one, she’s married to charming, handsome Paul, and has just given birth to a baby boy. But one phone call changes her life forever.

When Paul’s niece, Ruby, reports that her father, Henry, has committed suicide, and that her mother, Silja, is missing, Angie and Paul drop everything and fly to the small upstate town of Stonekill, New York to be by Ruby’s side.

Angie thinks they’re coming to the rescue of Paul’s grief-stricken young niece, but Ruby is a composed and enigmatic seventeen-year-old who resists Angie’s attempts to nurture her. As Angie learns more about the complicated Glass family, staying in Henry and Silja’s eerie and ultra-modern house on the edge of the woods, she begins to question the very fabric of her own marriage.

Through Silja’s flashbacks, Angie’s discovery of astonishing truths, and Ruby’s strategic dissection of her parents’ state of affairs, a story of love, secrets, and ultimate betrayal is revealed.

The first thing that pulled me towards this book was the setup and the backdrop. Set in 1960, this thrilling novel is about a family and certain secrets that are dark and devastating.

Angie is happily married to Paul and is living the life of her dreams. Ruby- a 17-year-old and Paul’s niece has lost her father, who has committed suicide and her mother has gone missing. Angie and Paul run to her aid, but Ruby wants to be left alone.

As the POV keeps changing, we are taken far back into the marriage of Ruby’s parents and the secrets the family tried so hard to bury. The beauty of the book lies in the fact that it is highly detailed. The world Swanson has created can be visualized and there are some amazing scenes where I craved to go. The characters are vulnerable but somehow it was difficult to connect them and their circumstances.

The plot unfolds very slowly and it filled me with a burning desire to reach the end soon because it is extremely fascinating, especially the curiosity the author manages to generate.

Overall, a thrilling story about strong women, full of twists, but definitely a bit slow.

Purchase Links:                                  |Amazon Kindle|

Did you read this book? Thoughts?