Book Review – The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I’m not the biggest fan of nonfiction; it never seems to hold my attention. Between convoluted writing and (subjectively) boring plots – if it even has one – I’m rarely fully interested and end up not finishing the book. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a different story (pun totally intended). This is one of the few nonfiction books I’ve finished, let alone enjoyed. Let me tell you why.

Source: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle is truly astonishing–a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

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The Glass Castle is written like fiction; it gives me the same sense of “well, what’s going to happen next?” It doesn’t just tell a story; it tells a life. The rawness of the book captivated me. In no time at all, I was invested in all of their lives and where they would take themselves.

Despite the characters’ flaws – or maybe because of them – I loved them; they were all painfully human. I hated Jeannette’s parents for most of the book, but that dissolved into pity and sympathy. If there weren’t children involved, you could say they were just living their lives the way they wanted to. But there were children; forced into dire situations, robbed of their childhood, and obligated to parent themselves. These kids learned resilience and fought their way out of a horrid position.

Their dad, Rex, tugged at my heart. Dealing with alcoholism is a never-ending fight, especially when the person is predisposed to it. It’s said that his parents were drunks, and that’s what he was raised in. His disease – alcoholism – causes him to steal from his children, put them in compromising situations, mistreat them, and still, his love is somehow shown.

It’s hard not to get immersed in a story that can resonate with everyone; no matter the childhood or adulthood trauma you’ve gone through, you can see yourself in this book. As someone who has family that struggled with alcohol and other addictions, it was rather nice to see how someone else dealt with it and how they felt. Moments of this book were heart-wrenching, only softened by the buoyant nature of the children.

On a less profound note, the setting added to my enjoyment. Not only did I love the different locations and the way the author described them, but I also connected with the sense of adventure that picking up and leaving gave the characters. It’s interesting to see how, as children, that shuffling around of homes is exciting, but as time goes on, a real connection is needed. Yet, that buzz of wanting to pick up and go somewhere new is still engrained in Jeannette as she grows older. Seeing Jeannette prosper in spite of her turbulent upbringing is one of the most hopeful stories I’ve read.

It’s hard to compare this memoir with another since each is a deeply personal account. I will recommend a few memoirs that also deal with hardships: Night by Elie Wiesel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. This book has a few mentions of more mature issues like some swearing and sexual content (nothing overly explicit, but I would be wary for young audiences). I don’t think I could imagine giving this less than 5 stars; how can you rate someone’s story, their truth?

Have you ever read The Glass Castle? If so, what did you think of it? After reading this, I’ve opened my mind to nonfiction books, especially memoirs, so I plan to add more to my TBR. To stay up to date with what I’m reading, follow this blog or head to my Goodreads.

Yours till the words run out,

Raven K. Winters ♥