The Glass Room – Simon Mawer

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Based on a real villa in Czechoslovakia, the house in this book is a minimalist masterpiece with a transparent glass room as its centre. Built for Liesel and Viktor Landauer in the 1920s, the house becomes the central character and the WWII story unfolds through all the people and experiences that pass through the glass room, including the Nazis themselves. 

A work of art like this,’ he tells one of the journalists, ‘demands that the life lived in it be a work of art as well. I am certain that Viktor Landauer and his beautiful wife will do the place justice.

❚ “Interesting in the way this story is told with the house being a character so that the plot is seen through the ‘eyes’ of the glass room – all of the major events of the story happen in the house.  I loved the characters and the relationships which were expertly embedded in a historical framework.  Very enjoyable.” – Jo

❚ “Though the glass room is transparent, it conceals so many secrets and deceits. I loved this thematic aspect of the book, with the room as a character. The architecture, the characters, their relationships, the war as a setting all combined seamlessly. I felt for the house, sorry for it that it was being mistreated, and I have to say I have never felt empathy for a building before as if it was a humanised character! This book was riveting and I did not want to put it down!”

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Published 2009
Other Press
406 pages