I’ve read most of Julia Glass’s novels because I love the way she develops characters. The plots are often slightly improbable, but the characters bring it off. Somehow, I missed Vigil Harbor when it came out in 2022 and recently found a used copy at my local bookstore. I was absorbed in it almost immediately. The book is set in the near future, with all the attendant issues of our warming planet.
Vigil Harbor is a town on Boston’s North Shore, an old fishing village that evolved into a wealthy enclave with a mainly white population. The residents feel lucky to live there, even though floods, severe storms, and high sea levels threaten the shore and wetlands, as they do everywhere on the coasts. People adapt as best they can. There are also threats from eco-terrorists, and that becomes an important part of the story.
When the novel opens, several marriages in the town have fractured and several families have suffered other kinds of losses. Austin, a local architect, hopes that the divorces will mean more work for him to build and renovate houses. His stepson, Brecht, home from college after a traumatic incident in New York, is trying to recover his equilibrium. Brecht is working for Celestino, the local landscaper, one of the few working-class people who live in town. A stranger arrives who knew Celestino years ago, someone who stirs up dangerous memories. Celestino is frightened as he watches Ernesto ingratiate himself with all the women. Another new arrival in town is Petra, posing as a journalist. She contacts Austin about writing a biography but her real motive is revenge for his abandonment of a former lover. In a lovely, fantastical touch, the mermaid Issa takes human form to warn the world about damage to the ocean. Her innocence is a heartbreaking contrast to the rest of the characters, who are anxious and uneasy in a world of ongoing catastrophes. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different person, their stories gradually interlocking until the explosive ending.
What I love about Julia Glass’s novels is her generous spirit towards her characters, the way she gives them back stories and fully formed lives, inviting us to share their dreams and fears. There’s real life on the page, and that’s what I look for in a novel.
Now that I’ve checked my Goodreads list, I can see that I’ve read all her novels–I guess I’m a fan. If you haven’t read any of her novels, I’d recommend starting with Three Junes.
A Reader's Place 