Glass Houses: A Novel

Summary

“Heartfelt [and] hilarious… . Mileti rides this swelling narrative tide with grace, never losing her balance, and I was swept along.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Mitchard

Whoever said people in glass house shouldn’t throw stones never met Hannah Barkin Stein.

For the last fifty years she has spent her summers in Barkin House, the marvel of glass architecture her ex-husband Allen built on the shores of a beautiful Berkshires lake. The house’s unique design launched Allen’s career, but the family only spent two summers there together before Allen’s affair with Hannah’s best friend launched their acrimonious split.

Now nothing—not even a lifetime achievement award—could lure Allen back to Barkin House … at least while his formidable ex-wife is in residence. But after their battle-scarred children, Sam and Sara, send their mother thousands of miles away on an Arctic cruise, Allen agrees to return.

Upon arriving in the Berkshires, everyone is stunned to learn that Hannah’s trip has been cancelled. Suddenly thrust into an unanticipated and unwelcome family reunion, the Steins must unpack more than just their swimsuits, as decades of emotional baggage scatter across three generations. And in a house made of glass there is nowhere to hide.

As their dirty laundry is aired, the Steins face an overdue reckoning with themselves and each other: Allen attempts to fan the flames on his waning career, Sara teeters on the brink of financial ruin, Sam struggles to reignite his floundering marriage, and his adult daughter Esme must decide if, after all she has experienced, she is brave enough—or foolish enough—to take a chance on love.

Poignant and rich with humanity, Glass Houses is a warm-hearted exploration of marriage, love, betrayal, forgiveness—what drives us apart, and what binds us together.