Personal Review

After being mesmerized by the less than perfect childhood memories of Jeanette Walls and her family in The Glass Castle, I realized that hope is the only kind of light that will never burn out. Not only did Jeanette and siblings keep their flame of hope kindled despite harsh living conditions and severe parental issues, but they managed to thrive in New York City as authors, illustrators, and firefighters. That little spark of hope on Walls’ fingertips just happened to travel like wildfire and warm the hearts of millions of readers, myself included. I was in complete admiration of the resilience and bravery that guided the light of the children literally from rags to riches.

A significant element of the novel that I very much appreciated was, strangely, the lack of deep, flowery diction and syntax. Instead of providing every emotion in writing on each page, by merely stating the details, the readers could fill in the gaps with emotion. While Walls could have easily spoon-fed readers the intended reaction of each painful anecdote, this gap she leaves provides space for each reader to insert a personal response. For example, when Jeanette recalls seeing her Grandma Erma groping the younger brother Brian, this could have ignited an array of reactions from the readers. I was awestruck, since I know of nothing other than grandparents who are the utmost loving people. Yet, someone who had been molested or abused by a family member during childhood would have had a completely different reaction.