Kathleen Glasgow, The Glass Girl, HarperCollins Publishers, October 2024, 464 pp., RRP $22.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781460763759
Kathleen Glasgow’s The Glass Girl is a heart-wrenching and unflinchingly honest exploration of addiction, mental health, and the weight of family expectations. Through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Bella, readers are given an intimate look at the crushing pressures of growing up in a fractured family and the destructive coping mechanisms that often result. With raw emotion and a deep understanding of the struggles many teenagers face, Glasgow crafts a narrative that is as compelling as it is heartbreaking, shining a light on the painful journey toward recovery and self-discovery.
At the novel’s heart is Bella, a girl who has spent too long trying to hold the pieces of her life together. Since her grandmother’s death, Bella has found solace in alcohol—vodka, beer, peppermint schnapps—anything to dull the pain and numb the overwhelming sense of responsibility that weighs on her. Her parents’ divorce has left her feeling like a pawn in their battles, constantly trying to appease both of them while also playing the role of caretaker for her younger sister, Ricci. Add to that the grief of losing her grandmother, the disintegration of her relationship with her boyfriend Dylan, and the emotional turmoil that comes with being a teenager, and Bella is on the edge of collapse.
For Bella, alcohol is an escape—until she wakes up in a hospital after a blackout drinking episode at a Thanksgiving party, with no memory of what happened and a fractured cheekbone. Now she’s being sent to rehab, a place she never imagined she’d be. It’s a journey that forces Bella to face not just her dependence on alcohol, but the deeper emotional scars that have led her to rely on it in the first place.
The Glass Girl is a beautiful but hard-hitting novel that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories of resilience, self-discovery, and the difficult process of forgiving oneself. Glasgow doesn’t shy away from showing the messiness and complexity of recovery, from the painful confrontations to the small victories. This book is highly recommended for readers aged fourteen years and older seeking an honest and empathetic portrayal of the challenges many people face in today’s world.
Content Warning: alcohol, alcoholism, cutting/self-harm, alcohol poisoning, suicide attempt, death, emotional abuse, drug use, overdose.
Reviewed by India Boon
